State Health Watch Archives – July 1, 2009
July 1, 2009
View Issues
-
Chronically ill are going without care: What will be the impact on Medicaid?
Of 20 million working-age adults with chronic conditions and medical bill problems, half delayed care in 2007, and 56% didn't fill a drug prescription. More than 5 million of this group went without needed care altogether. -
Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Minnesota Medicaid faces decreased revenue and rising enrollment
Demand is growing significantly for Minnesota State Health Care Programs, which include the state's Medicaid and children's health insurance programs, due to the economic downturn. Over the next two years, another 100,000 enrollees are expected-an increase that Brian Osberg, Minnesota's health care assistant commissioner, believes is unprecedented. This will bring the total of enrollees to 800,000. -
Medicaid's big lesson from H1N1: Expect rapid changes
During the HIN1 pandemic, state Medicaid directors were challenged to review their current coverage, service delivery mechanisms, and administrative operations to be sure they were delivering appropriate benefits efficiently and effectively. -
New initiative aims to integrate care of costly 'dual-eligibles'
"Dual-eligibles"-individuals who are simultaneously enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, are generally in poor health and one of the most costly populations covered by public health programs. Now a new initiative, Transforming Care for Dual Eligibles, launched by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), will test innovative care models for this population. -
Will community-giving programs reduce burden on Medicaid?
Many nonprofit health plans and health systems serving the publicly insured are now using formal giving programs to reinvest millions of dollars back to the communities they serve. The funds are being used to make health improvements such as expanding coverage to vulnerable groups, which is good news for Medicaid. -
CHIPRA documentation changes 'good news' for Medicaid
There are some "immediate, dramatic improvements" made by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) in the way the citizenship documentation requirement in Medicaid is implemented, according to Julia Paradise, a principal policy analyst for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured in Washington, DC. -
Guideline-based care saves money with mental health
Guideline-based care provided by occupational physicians is a cost-effective way to treat workers with common mental health problems, according to new research.