universal health news from FierceHealthcare

CMS has proposed new rules that would give states more latitude in designing their Medicaid programs. The rules, which address provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and the Tax Relief and Read more...

Hospitals in Texas and New Jersey agreed this week to pay almost $10 million to settle charges of making improper Medicare claims. One facility, Warren Hospital of Philipsburg, N.J., agreed to pay Read more...

An Arizona hospital and two affiliated medical groups have agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Justice $6.7 million to settle charges that they billed Medicare improperly. The DoJ had contended that Read more...

Community Health Systems (CHS) has disclosed in securities filings that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating three of its hospitals on charges that the New Mexico facilities caused the Read more...

Federal investigators are calling for the state of Missouri to pay back at least $8 million in Medicaid funding, arguing that the state's provider tax doesn't follow federal law. The state, which has been fighting with the feds since last year, imposes a tax on hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies and healthcare management firms that generates about $1.1 billion per year. The state has leveraged that money to pull in $1.8 billion in Medicaid money from the federal government. The feds are …

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Bowing to public pressure, Massachusetts officials are planning to exempt almost 20 percent of uninsured adults from the state's health insurance mandate. Under the state's reform law, all adults would have to have health insurance by July 1, and they'd face a penalty if they didn't have insurance by December 31. However, officials have concluded that even bare-bones, high-deductible insurance will be too expensive for about 60,000 people who make too much to qualify for state subsidies, …

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California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is considering some aggressive steps to push all citizens into health insurance plans. Under this proposal--one of several being considered by the administration--the state would track down people who refuse to buy health insurance, force-enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay the premiums. Schwarzenegger has also proposed attaching the wages of people who don't buy into a health plan, or boosting their state income tax debt. To find the …

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Spurred by state authorities who said that premiums weren't affordable enough, insurers have done a second round of price-cutting on policies aimed at uninsured but employed citizens. Right now, it's estimated by about 200,000 Massachusetts residents don't get employer-sponsored health coverage, but also earn too much to qualify for state subsidies. To get some of this business, health plans had made bids for participation which came in below standard market premiums. However, Gov. Deval …

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Facing loud complaints from citizens whose health coverage doesn't measure up, Massachusetts state officials are looking at dropping a core rule defining on what coverage qualifies under its new insurance mandate. Officials are now proposing that the state allow health plans that have lifetime payout caps to qualify for the mandate. Right now, plans don't meet the law's requirements if a lifetime cap is in place. However, the officials still intend to leave in place other benefit …

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Gearing up for new rules requiring all residents to carry health insurance, Massachusetts has officially approved a group of policies tailored to be accessible to the uninsured. Starting in May, a total of 28 different plans will be offered by seven insurers. Participating health insurers include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, ConnectiCare, Fallon Community Health Plan, Health New England, Neighborhood Health Plan and Tufts Health Plan. Monthly …

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