participants

In Sacramento, lawmakers are considering two bills today which could have a major impact on the health IT landscape in California and, by extension, the rest of the country. The first, SB-1672, offers tax breaks to hospitals if they establish EMR systems. The second, SB-1671, would issue smartcards to Medi-Cal participants, enabling the state's healthcare system to track patients who often slip through the cracks. An added benefit, says sponsor Abel Maldonado (R), is that the smartcards …

Despite the negative publicity surrounding the program, some Medicare Part D participants have saved substantial sums by enrolling, The New York Times reports. The newspaper looks at a group of seniors who have seen their drug expenses fall sharply since the benefit went into effect. One community pharmacist is quoted as saying Part D was "significantly beneficial to one-third of Medicare patients, marginally beneficial to half the patients and no benefit at all to the …

In Europe, Vodafone released details of a study that highlights the benefits of text messaging in healthcare. Researchers at Imperial College London that found that using text messaging made providers more efficient--cutting down on missed appointments by about 30 percent. The study also found that text reminders helped patients self-manage their care far more effectively, confirming what other researchers have found. The Vodafone report also examines the public health benefits of …

A new study finds that Medicare Part D restricts the choice of drugs available to participants in some cases. The research, which looks at California plans, finds that the they offer participants a generally narrower selection of medications than they would be eligible for under Medi-Cal, the state program for low-income residents. The study was conducted by Washington-based Avalere Health for the California Health Care Foundation.

In a press conference yesterday, CMS administrator …

A $400 million ad campaign designed to attract low income seniors to the new Medicare drug benefit is having little success, The Washington Post reports. Only about 1.4 million low-income beneficiaries, out of a potential 8 million, have signed up for the program. Even vocal critics of Part D say the program is a good one, but the Social Security Administration, which was tasked by Congress last year with the role of reaching out to potential participants, says it has been unable …

A new Wall Street Journal poll found that the majority of Americans think that people who follow unhealthy lifestyles should pay more for their health insurance. A clear majority (63 percent) say they think smokers should pay higher premiums, deductibles, co payments. About the same number (57 percent), think people who drink heavily should pay higher rates. Tellingly however, not as many people (30 percent) think the same penalties should apply to people with weight problems or …

Despite regulations requiring hospitals to reveal prices and available charity care programs that provide discounted care, few hospitals do so. A study by the California Healthcare Foundation used mystery shoppers posing as uninsured patients to test hospitals on how well they live up to their obligations to provide information to customers who ask for it. Researchers were able to eventually get details on prices, although with some difficulty. Information about charity care programs was …

The Web site set up to provide information to seniors looking for information on the new Medicare prescription drug benefit is still lagging behind schedule, CMS officials grudgingly admitted. For the time being, only basic information on the benefit and local plans is available at Medicare.gov. The agency introduced some new features on Monday but did not deliver quite the suite of tools analysts had been expecting. Visitors are not yet able to compare plans, potentially a very serious …

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced this morning that the premium for participants in the new prescription drug benefit for Medicare will be significantly lower than expected. Officials said those signing up for the plan can expect to pay about $32.20 per month, about 15 percent less than earlier estimates. That will "make the benefit more attractive to more people," said CMS administrator Mark McClellan.

The decision is likely to be seen by critics as a …

The latest signs appear to suggest that Medicare Part D may have trouble attracting participants, a possibly ominous sign for the much vaunted program. Evidence seems to suggest that many seniors who could be helped by the program have not heard about it. Others appear to be confused about what the benefit will mean. Economists warn that if the program is not able to attract large numbers of participants, it will have difficulty funding coverage for those requiring expensive drugs and …