State Health Watch Archives – August 1, 2009
August 1, 2009
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Interest in Medicaid medical homes is surging, despite budget challenges
The challenges of budget shortfalls aside, interest in medical homes continues to grow as evidence of their effectiveness accumulates and state Medicaid programs seek to manage costs over the long term. -
Fiscal Fitness: How States Cope: Colorado's Medicaid program expands to cover 100,000 uninsured
The Colorado Health Care Affordability Act has just been signed into law, which will provide coverage to more than 100,000 uninsured Coloradans without any cost to taxpayers, phased in over three years. -
States take these five actions to advance medical homes
Here are five ways that states are working to advance their medical home programs, according to research conducted by the State Consortium to Advance Medical Homes for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Beneficiaries: -
North Carolina's medical home model saves $154 million
Medicaid clients with a longer history with the same doctor are more likely to be screened for curable cancers, according to a study of North Carolina Medicaid recipients published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. -
Medicaid may become platform for broader health care reform
How many of the country's uninsured should be covered through public programs and how many through private insurance? This is a topic of much debate regarding health reform legislation, with some policy-makers arguing that Medicaid should be expanded to cover more low-income and high-need people. -
Enrollments in Medicaid-focused health plans continue to grow
Enrollments in Medicaid-focused health plans have risen by 14.2% over the past year, according to Medicaid-focused Health Plans Continue Growing Amid Overall Decline in Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment, a fact sheet released by the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) in Washington, DC, based on recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. -
Medicaid rates haven't kept up with Medicare's
Medicaid physician fees haven't kept up with Medicare fees, and this could be contributing to problems with accessing care, according to a recent study on Trends in Medicaid Physician Fees, 2003-2008. -
Chronically ill who smoke need added help to quit
Individuals with serious illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, make up a disproportionately high segment of current smokers and are also among the most addicted to tobacco use.