State Health Watch Archives – December 1, 2008
December 1, 2008
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Eligibility cuts will be 'last resort' for states during economic downturn
It's not surprising that Medicaid spending and enrollment is increasing, right at the time that states can least afford it. But this economic downturn is expected to be worse than previous downturns, and states will be forced to make some hard decisions. -
Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Vermont shares its results, one year after moving toward universal coverage
About 12,000 of the estimated 65,000 uninsured Vermonters now have health insurance who didn't before, as a result of a universal coverage program launched in October 2007. Here are steps that were taken to achieve this: -
Many states in survival mode; cuts are likely
New York state expects to feel the effect of the current economic downturn most directly, as 20% of its revenues come directly from Wall Street activity, according to Claudia Hutton, director of the New York State Department of Health's public affairs group. -
Midyear rate cuts may be harbinger of what's coming
Several states already have made midyear payment rate cuts for FY 2009. -
States could save billions in Medicaid spending
State governments could save billions in Medicaid spending without harming enrollees or cutting health benefits, if Congress passes the Drug Rebate Equalization Act of 2007, according to a September 2008 study from the Association for Community-Affiliated Plans (ACAP). -
States take steps to keep Medicaid-eligible children enrolled
Children on Medicaid often lose coverage during recertification, because a parent never received a renewal form or notification of the need to renew, didn't understand what to do with them, didn't send in information in time, didn't show up at a scheduled appointment, or didn't send in or bring in complete documentation. -
More contact with families stops the loss of benefits
Michelle Mickey Rork, program director for PeachCare for Kids, Georgia's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), says that one of the state's most successful initiatives for increasing enrollment and retention of eligible children has been through the work of its Right from the Start Medicaid Outreach Project. -
Rural program aims to keep elderly in homes, communities
Lack of family practice physicians, availability of transportation, and high fuel costs. These are three of the challenges faced by state Medicaid directors who are trying to increase health care options for elderly populations in rural regions. -
Agencies struggle with plan-of-care requirements
Fifteen percent of Medicare home health agencies were cited for the same certification deficiency on three consecutive surveys, according to a report issued by the Office of the Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services. Most of the agencies included in this group were located in six states: California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Texas.