State Health Watch Archives – February 1, 2009
February 1, 2009
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Tight state budgets slowing pace of Medicaid cost-containment initiatives
Even in good economic times, Medicaid directors have limited resources to do all that recipients, families, providers, legislators and taxpayers expect of them. -
Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Arizona's Medicaid program awaits budget cuts; is in 'uncharted territory'
When Arizona received its Medicaid Transformation Grant in 2007, "we had a budget surplus," says Anthony Rodgers, director of the state of Arizona Medicaid/ SCHIP programs, known as the Arizona Health Care Cost-Containment System. -
States report big savings with care management
According to a November 2008 report from Washington, DC-based Health Management Associates, targeted, highly customized interventions for people with chronic diseases can be an effective tool for reducing hospital readmissions. -
Soaring behavioral health costs growing problem for Medicaid
Medicaid now pays for 26% of total mental health expenditures, and rising costs of these services is a big concern for state Medicaid directors, according to a recent 50-state Medicaid budget survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Headed for a Crunch: An Update on Medicaid Spending, Coverage and Policy Heading into an Economic Downturn. -
How is nonpayment for 'never events' affecting Medicaid?
Medicare no longer pays for a list of "never events"serious medical mistakes in hospitals that occur at hospitals, such as wrong-site surgery and serious medication errorsfor discharges occurring on or after Oct. 1, 2008. -
Will federal relief come? States need help now
It's not yet known exactly what federal help will be forthcoming to struggling state Medicaid programs, but one thing is clear: Many states are in survival mode and planning for the worst-case scenario.