Here are 10 issues dealing with Medicare or Medicaid that occurred in the past week, starting with the most recent.
1. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its final Medicare payment policy report to Congress, recommending hospital payment rates for both inpatient and outpatient services increase by 1 percent in 2013.
2. Over the 12-month span ended January 2012, the Standard & Poor's Healthcare Economic Hospital Medicare Index increased by 1.56 percent, up from the 1.48 percent pace recorded in December.
3. In federal fiscal year 2011, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program provided care for roughly 78 million people at a cost of $444 billion.
4. A report from the Office of Inspector General found that if overturned Medicare payment denials from CMS' Comprehensive Error Rate Testing program were included in its initial error-rate calculations, the estimated value of reported errors in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 would have decreased by $2 billion each year.
5. Ohio Gov. John Kasich proposed legislation that would factor quality measures into future Ohio Medicaid payments.
6. In a 12 to 4 vote, Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee approved a revised Medicaid proposal, which would cut 22,800 people from Medicaid, known as BadgerCare.
7. A March budget report from the Congressional Budget Office shows that Medicare and Medicaid costs are still expected to more than double between fiscal year 2012 and FY 2022.
8. Medicaid patients are two times more likely to visit emergency departments compared to patients with commercial insurance.
9. Hospitals that rely heavily on low reimbursements from Medicaid may be linked to worse outcomes for hospitalized children.
10. Cleveland-based MetroHealth System submitted a proposal to CMS that would allow the health system to create a special Medicaid program for low-income and uninsured residents who aren't eligible for regular Medicaid.
1. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission released its final Medicare payment policy report to Congress, recommending hospital payment rates for both inpatient and outpatient services increase by 1 percent in 2013.
2. Over the 12-month span ended January 2012, the Standard & Poor's Healthcare Economic Hospital Medicare Index increased by 1.56 percent, up from the 1.48 percent pace recorded in December.
3. In federal fiscal year 2011, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program provided care for roughly 78 million people at a cost of $444 billion.
4. A report from the Office of Inspector General found that if overturned Medicare payment denials from CMS' Comprehensive Error Rate Testing program were included in its initial error-rate calculations, the estimated value of reported errors in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 would have decreased by $2 billion each year.
5. Ohio Gov. John Kasich proposed legislation that would factor quality measures into future Ohio Medicaid payments.
6. In a 12 to 4 vote, Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee approved a revised Medicaid proposal, which would cut 22,800 people from Medicaid, known as BadgerCare.
7. A March budget report from the Congressional Budget Office shows that Medicare and Medicaid costs are still expected to more than double between fiscal year 2012 and FY 2022.
8. Medicaid patients are two times more likely to visit emergency departments compared to patients with commercial insurance.
9. Hospitals that rely heavily on low reimbursements from Medicaid may be linked to worse outcomes for hospitalized children.
10. Cleveland-based MetroHealth System submitted a proposal to CMS that would allow the health system to create a special Medicaid program for low-income and uninsured residents who aren't eligible for regular Medicaid.
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