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.