Here are nine issues dealing with Medicare or Medicaid that occurred in the past week, starting with the most recent.
1. GOP leaders of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Finance Committee sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking for the data and formula used to estimate federal savings from a proposed blended matching rate for the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid.
2. The Office of Inspector General's aggressive Medicaid fraud-fighting methods have not been sitting well with many physicians, especially a tactic in which reimbursement is suspended.
3. Melanie Bella, director of CMS' Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, confirmed that the federal agency would keep enrollment for the dual eligibles demonstration project to 2 million people.
4. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older are more satisfied with their coverage, have better access to care and are less likely to experience problems paying medical bills compared with working-age adults with private insurance.
5. Three executives within the children's hospital sector give their take on Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (which is intended for families that can't afford coverage for children but don't qualify for Medicaid), healthcare reform and what it all means for children's hospitals going forward.
6. CMS announced that 15 of the 89 new accountable care organizations participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program will also take part in the Advance Payments ACO Model.
7. Medicare's geographic adjustments in fee-for-service payments to hospitals have brought about inconsistencies over the years. Altering those adjustments could improve payment accuracy, but it will not address healthcare quality and access issues, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine.
8. Lynn Nicholas, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, wrote an op-ed, saying reduced reimbursement of government payors should "never be mistaken" for reducing healthcare costs since the expense will only be shifted to someone else.
9. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced it will cut $859.2 million from the state Medicaid program for fiscal year 2013, which equates to roughly an 11 percent cut of the state's $7.7 billion Medicaid program.
1. GOP leaders of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Finance Committee sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking for the data and formula used to estimate federal savings from a proposed blended matching rate for the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid.
2. The Office of Inspector General's aggressive Medicaid fraud-fighting methods have not been sitting well with many physicians, especially a tactic in which reimbursement is suspended.
3. Melanie Bella, director of CMS' Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, confirmed that the federal agency would keep enrollment for the dual eligibles demonstration project to 2 million people.
4. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older are more satisfied with their coverage, have better access to care and are less likely to experience problems paying medical bills compared with working-age adults with private insurance.
5. Three executives within the children's hospital sector give their take on Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (which is intended for families that can't afford coverage for children but don't qualify for Medicaid), healthcare reform and what it all means for children's hospitals going forward.
6. CMS announced that 15 of the 89 new accountable care organizations participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program will also take part in the Advance Payments ACO Model.
7. Medicare's geographic adjustments in fee-for-service payments to hospitals have brought about inconsistencies over the years. Altering those adjustments could improve payment accuracy, but it will not address healthcare quality and access issues, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine.
8. Lynn Nicholas, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, wrote an op-ed, saying reduced reimbursement of government payors should "never be mistaken" for reducing healthcare costs since the expense will only be shifted to someone else.
9. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced it will cut $859.2 million from the state Medicaid program for fiscal year 2013, which equates to roughly an 11 percent cut of the state's $7.7 billion Medicaid program.
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