Medicare & Medicaid
News articles in this section include actions by federal regulators like the CMS and HHS, as well as information on Medicare and state Medicaid coverage and benefits.
California lawmakers are staring down a $1.1 billion hole in next year’s health budget after failing to come up with a way to replace the state’s “managed care organization tax” on health insurance plans that serve Medi-Cal managed care recipients.
Many primary care practitioners will be a little poorer next year because of the expiration of a health law program that has been paying them a 10 percent bonus for caring for Medicare patients. Some say the loss may trickle down to the patients, who could have a harder time finding a doctor or have to wait ...
Three years ago, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature enacted a major overhaul of the system that compensates workers for job-related injuries and illnesses. Senate Bill 863, backed by employers and labor unions, affected many specific aspects of the system but was aimed largely at reducing medical costs and redirecting savings into cash benefit increases ...
Most Medicare beneficiaries will keep paying the same monthly premium for outpatient care next year, the Obama administration said Tuesday.
Several Republicans Thursday heaped blame on the Obama administration for the failure of more than half of the cooperatives set up under the health law to infuse competition into the insurance market. The collapse of 12 out of 23 operating co-ops is providing a fresh opportunity for the GOP to criticize the Affordable Care Act ...
The uninsured rate has fallen to a new low of 9 percent, marking 16.3 million more people with health insurance since ObamaCare’s coverage expansion took effect in 2013, according to data released Thursday. The survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the uninsured rate was 9 percent in the first six months ...
Half of California’s undocumented immigrants — about 1.4 million — have incomes low enough to qualify for full Medi-Cal benefits should California legislative proposals to offer coverage to the undocumented ever be enacted. That is among the key findings of a Public Policy Institute of California report released Monday night which examines current policy options ...
California and the federal government agreed in concept Saturday on a $6.2-billion deal to reform the Medicaid program and to help pay for care of the low-income population. The largest share of the funds – nearly $3.3 billion – is aimed at helping public hospitals improve the safety and quality of patient care. The plan, ...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned Friday that gaps in ObamaCare are clearing the way for redundant payments and fraud. The federal watchdog found that some people have duplicate coverage, meaning that they are enrolled both in Medicaid and in private coverage through the law’s marketplaces. The report said that means that the government could ...
On Monday, the Obama administration and congressional leaders reached an $80 billion, two-year budget agreement that includes major health care provisions, the Associated Press reports (Taylor,Associated Press, 10/27). Budget Deal Details The bipartisan budget deal would increase current spending limits for domestic agencies by $50 billion during the first year and $30 billion during the ...