Mobile Version SearchEldercare Subscribe Newsletters Contact Us About Us Advertise Magazine Jobs Reprints Video Ads

RSS | Login | Register

Medicaid

Obama's budget proposal would reduce Medicare payments

February 07, 2012

President Obama's 2013 budget proposal calls for spending cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, including a reduction in Medicare payments to nursing homes.

Federal Medicaid matching rate to decline in 2014

February 06, 2012

About 30 states can expect a drop in federal matching rates for Medicaid in fiscal year 2014, with only a handful seeing an increase, according to a new report.

OIG: Cutting Medicare and Medicaid fraud still a top concern

February 03, 2012

Eliminating Medicare and Medicaid fraud should be a priority for the Department of Health and Human Services as it works to implement healthcare reform programs, according to a new report.

CBO: Federal healthcare spending could double by 2022

February 01, 2012

Federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid is expected to double by 2022, reaching $1.8 trillion or 7% of the entire economy, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report.

As states cut Medicaid funds, nursing home group proposes bad debt fix

February 01, 2012

Forty states have either frozen or cut Medicaid-financed nursing home care for seniors between 2009 and 2011, a new survey has found.

Affordable Care Act provides help for nursing homes, brief says

January 31, 2012

The Affordable Care Act benefits nursing homes and other residential care facilities, according to an amicus curiae brief filed in the Supreme Court by six aging groups.

Pharmacist underpayments results in adverse events, citations, investigation finds

January 30, 2012

Nursing homes that provide below-average consultant pharmacist salaries may be getting what they pay for, a state investigation suggests.

Latest Medicaid lawsuit settlement will cost J & J $158 million

January 25, 2012

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $158 million to settle a Medicaid fraud lawsuit in Texas. The lawsuit accused J & J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals of giving state officials kickbacks in exchange for putting the antipsychotic Risperdal on an approved list for Medicaid recipients. The suit also claimed that Janssen marketed the drug as being safe and cost-effective, despite being linked to an increased risk of stroke and death in elderly dementia patients. Risperdal is approved only to treat adult schizophrenia. Johnson & Johnson was recently ordered to pay $327 million in South Carolina and $258 million in Louisiana in similar Rispedal lawsuits.

J & J pays $158 million to settle Texas Medicaid fraud lawsuit

January 23, 2012

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $158 million to settle a Medicaid fraud lawsuit. The lawsuit accused J & J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals of giving state officials kickbacks in exchange for putting the antipsychotic Risperdal on an approved list for Medicaid recipients.

States' Medicaid eligibility and enrollment remained stable in 2011, report says

January 18, 2012

Despite heavily burdened state budgets, states' Medicaid eligibility and enrollment was stable during 2011, thanks partly to the Affordable Care Act, a new report finds.

State officials settle lawsuit to keep disabled out of nursing homes

January 17, 2012

Louisiana health officials will ask the federal government for 200 waivers that would allow disabled Medicaid recipients to receive long-term personal care services, according to the terms of a settlement.

SNFs should focus on partnerships, quality, to weather uncertain future, experts say

January 16, 2012

In order to survive an uncertain financial and regulatory environment, skilled nursing operators need to look at partnering with other healthcare systems and improving the quality of care, analysts say.

Group recommends coordinating care for dual-eligibles, leaving more up to states

January 12, 2012

In order to promote coordination between Medicare and Medicaid services and to save money, the federal government and states should create an integrated care model for dual-eligible beneficiaries, a new report recommends.

Increasing Medicare eligibility age would save money, increase Medicaid spending, budget office says

January 12, 2012

Increasing the Medicare age to 67 would save the federal government $148 billion between 2012 and 2021, but the savings would be offset by an increase in Medicaid spending, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.

States argue against Medicaid expansion in healthcare reform law challenges

January 12, 2012

Twenty-six states filed a brief Tuesday encouraging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a provision of the healthcare reform law that calls for a major expansion of Medicaid.

U.S. healthcare spending growth at historic low rate

January 10, 2012

Overall spending on healthcare in the United States grew at historically low rates in 2009 and 2010, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

SGR fix?! Don't get me started!

Jacqueline Vance January 09, 2012

So here's a Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) 101 primer so you will understand why I am so upset.

CMS provides answers to auditor questions

January 09, 2012

Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractors will not be replacing existing program integrity contractors, according to new guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Judge's ruling on class action suit a 'limited victory' for elderly and disabled nursing home residents

January 05, 2012

Thousands of institutionalized Medicaid recipients in Florida will not be able to move forward with a lawsuit after a federal judge removed its class-action status.

HHS releases final set of quality measures for Medicaid-eligible adults

January 04, 2012

The Department of Health and Human Services published its final core set of 26 quality measures for adult Medicaid beneficiaries in the Federal Register today.

Federal judge blocks Medicaid cuts to California nursing facilities

January 03, 2012

A federal judge granted an injunction last week that stopped the state of California from implementing a 10% reimbursement cut to skilled nursing facilities operating within hospitals.

Yes, it was a good year

John O'Connor December 22, 2011

If you're like most operators, you're probably staggering toward the end-of-year holidays. And your unsteady gait may have nothing to do with spiked eggnog.

Many assisted living residents are Medicaid-dependent, government report says

December 21, 2011

Nineteen percent of U.S. assisted living facility residents receive Medicaid benefits, and at least 43% of ALFs have at least one resident that is a Medicaid recipient, a new report reveals.

Skilled nursing groups slam MedPAC recommendations to revise payment system

December 20, 2011

Leading provider groups are sharply critical of a Medicare advisory committee's recommendation that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should massively overhaul the skilled nursing facility reimbursement system and rates.

Time for states to pass the bucks

John O'Connor December 15, 2011

Hats off to Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA). They just introduced legislation intended to deal with the shameful way many states approach paying long-term care providers. How shameful is the issue? In Illinois, as one example, it's not uncommon for providers to wait four to six months for Medicaid reimbursement.

Medicaid outlook bleak for providers in 2012, report finds

December 15, 2011

Unprecedented state budget deficits will result in historically low Medicaid reimbursements to long-term care facilities, a new report finds.

Berwick decries Medicare and Medicaid fraud and waste in parting interview

December 06, 2011

On the heels of his departure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Donald Berwick, M.D., said he came to Washington with an agenda to eliminate waste from the system.

Bill would exempt providers from automatic Medicare cuts

December 02, 2011

Many long-term care providers feel they earned at least a moral victory late last month when the president's so-called debt-reduction "super committee" could not agree on recommendations. That meant nothing worse than automatic 2% across-the-board cuts could be imposed. Now, there may be a reprieve on the horizon from even the 2% cuts.

LeadingAge: Tough times ahead for long-term care providers

November 30, 2011

LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix openly acknowledged Wednesday afternoon that the next two years could be tense and difficult for long-term care providers. He was just one of a handful of experts painting a grave outlook.

Government saved $17.6 billion in 2011 due to fraud prevention programs

November 16, 2011

A government crackdown on improper payments in federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, cut wasteful payments by $17.6 billion in 2011, the Office of Management and Budget reported Tuesday. The administration's Campaign to Cut Waste saved $7 billion in Medicare fee-for-service payment errors between 2010 and 2011, according to the OMB.