Healthcare-NOW

States Pushing Medicaid Ruling to Cut Rolls Immediately

By David Dayen for FireDogLake – It’s true that states could, after 2014, reduce their Medicaid rolls without the potential consequences of losing their entire federal share of funding. But some states aren’t waiting until 2014. The court, which upheld most of the law, struck down penalties for states choosing not to expand Medicaid. A…

89,000 Poor Penn. Kids Slashed from Medicaid

By Michael Hinkelman and Catherine Lucey for Philly.com – Kheli Muhammad was trying to schedule a routine pediatrician’s appointment last summer when she discovered that her 2-year-old son, who has a congenital heart disorder, had been kicked off the Medicaid rolls. The 30-year-old mother of two boys was stunned. “It is written in stone that…

Why an MRI costs $1,080 in America and $280 in France

By Ezra Klein for the Washington Post – There is a simple reason health care in the United States costs more than it does anywhere else: The prices are higher. That may sound obvious. But it is, in fact, key to understanding one of the most pressing problems facing our economy. In 2009, Americans spent…

Even Critics of Safety Net Depend on It Increasingly

From the New York Times – LINDSTROM, Minn. – Ki Gulbranson owns a logo apparel shop, deals in jewelry on the side and referees youth soccer games. He makes about $39,000 a year and wants you to know that he does not need any help from the federal government. He says that too many Americans…

Since August, 88,000 Pennsylvania children have lost Medicaid benefits

By Don Sapatkin, The Philadelphia Inquirer – More children lost Medicaid coverage in Pennsylvania in December than in the previous three months combined, according to new Department of Public Welfare numbers that show a total of 88,000 cut since August. Advocates for the poor and disabled say orders to quickly process a backlog of eligibility…

Private insurers increasingly reliant on government business

From the Washington Post – Despite the sluggish economy, the nation’s major health insurers have prospered in large part by expanding their role in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, according to a study released Thursday. The share of large insurers’ revenues contributed by their Medicare and Medicaid business has jumped from 36 to…

Mentally ill flood ER as states cut services

From Reuters – On a recent shift at a Chicago emergency department, Dr. William Sullivan treated a newly homeless patient who was threatening to kill himself. “He had been homeless for about two weeks. He hadn’t showered or eaten a lot. He asked if we had a meal tray,” said Sullivan, a physician at the…

For Debt Committee, No Final-Hour Deal Apparent

From NPR – Monday is the last day the congressional supercommittee can reach a deficit-reduction deal and still make its Wednesday deadline. The legislation has to be publicly available for 48 hours before a vote, and the clock is ticking. But instead of announcing an agreement, the committee is widely expected to admit it has…

Supercommittee Dems offer $350 billion in Medicare cuts

From Politico – Supercommittee Democrats quietly floated details late Wednesday of a $2.3 trillion tax-and-cut proposal that includes $400 billion in Medicare and Medicaid reductions, but also clears the way for a new physician payment formula. The framework — a counterproposal to one offered by Republicans on Monday — calls for $350 billion in savings…

A Tweak To Health Law Would Eliminate Medicaid For Some

By Julie Rovner for NPR – Should the middle class be eligible for Medicaid? The health program, funded jointly by the feds and the states, was devised to cover the poor. But if a provision in last year’s health law isn’t changed that could be the case for people with pretty healthy incomes. So today,…