Medicaid news from FierceHealthcare
News
Uninsured patients twice as likely to die in hospital
Traumatically-injured patients without health insurance are more than twice as likely to die in the hospital as those who have coverage, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers... Read more...
SPOTLIGHT: Provision in House bill could allot $23.5 billion to Medicaid funding
Though it's gotten little attention, a provision in House health reform bill could offer a big boost to state Medicaid programs. If passed, the bill would allot $23.5 billion to Medicaid funding,... Read more...
New York Medicaid fraud bust reveals unusual cast of characters
In another sign that Medicaid fraud is in vogue as, uh, a business opportunity, authorities have busted a New York-based fraud ring which includes some very well-heeled characters, including... Read more...
Study: Methadone common cause for painkiller deaths
A new study suggests that methadone is commonly a culprit in prescription opioid deaths--and that Medicaid enrollees could be at particular risk. The study, which was released by the CDC, concluded... Read more...
House democrats introduce health reform bill with a public option
Earlier today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled health reform legislation that promises to expand health care to 36 million people and fortify Medicare and Medicaid. The House democrats sponsored... Read more...
Organized crime getting deeper into medical identity theft
Medicare and Medicaid fraud is nothing new--but the extent to which these programs are being bilked by hard-core criminal organizations is. As we've reported here previously, evidence continues to... Read more...
NCQA: Healthcare quality improvement stalls
After more than a decade of improvement, healthcare quality remained flat in 2008, particularly in the mental health and substance abuse arena, according to an annual report by the National Committee... Read more...
Pharmas settle $124M Medicaid fraud suit; Legislators fight for 'critical access' funding for rural hospitals;
> Four pharmaceutical companies--Mylan Pharmaceuticals, UDL Laboratories, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and Ortho McNeil Pharmaceuticals-- have agreed to pay $124 million to resolve claims that... Read more...
Generic drugmakers protest paying in for health reform
Looked at it one way, generic drug manufacturers are getting quite a break when it comes to financing health reform. Under the Senate Finance Committee bill approved last week, the hospital industry... Read more...
Mayo Clinic performance rating comes under scrutiny
The White House has praised the Mayo Clinic and other Midwest clinics for performance ratings, but critics argue that Mayo's low- to no-acceptance of Medicare/Medicaid skews the results. Critics say... Read more...
