Medicare Medicaid Category

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.

Medicaid Spending Soars – Mostly In Expansion States

Medicaid spending soared nearly 14 percent last year—its biggest annual increase in at least two decades—as a result of millions of newly eligible low-income enrollees signing up under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Total spending was highest in the 29 states that expanded Medicaid, the ...

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Hopes Dim For Deal To Avert Medicare Premium Spikes

The window is closing for congressional leaders to avert the double-digit premium hikes that are set to hit 8 million Medicare enrollees next year. Congress has only a handful of weeks to prevent the 52 percent premium hikes — the largest in the program’s history — that will harm seniors and drain state budgets. And with ...

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Aetna, Humana Shareholders Approve Proposed Merger

Health insurer Aetna’s proposed $37 billion acquisition of smaller rival Humana Inc was approved by the shareholders of both companies. The companies continue to expect the deal to close in the second half of 2016, they said in separate statements on Monday. Aetna in July said it would buy Humana to become the largest provider ...

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Medicare Rates Set to Soar

Congressional lawmakers so far have failed to agree on a way to stave off an unprecedented premium increase for millions of Medicare recipients for 2016. That is creating uncertainty for many seniors on Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient care such as doctor’s visits. About 30% of the roughly 52 million people enrolled in Part ...

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Pressure Building for Congress to Fix Projected Medicare Part B Premium Spike

­ Pressure building for Congress to fix projected Medicare Part B premium spike – Modern Healthcare Modern Healthcare business news, research, data and events <iframe src=”//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-7TS2″ height=”0″ width=”0″ style=”display:none;visibility:hidden”></iframe> Advocates for Medicare enrollees and state Medicaid offices say Congress needs to intervene to prevent an expected 52% spike in Medicare Part B premiums, preferably in ...

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2 Million Uninsured Californians Are Eligible for Obamacare Benefits

In advance of the Nov. 1 start of open enrollment for Covered California, new numbers show that just over half of the state’s remaining uninsured are eligible for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The estimate was part of a state-by-state analysis compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Researchers found that California has ...

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Hospital Care Unaffected By Quality Payments

Medicare’s quality incentive program for hospitals, which provides bonuses and penalties based on performance, has not led to demonstrated improvements in its first three years, according to a federal report released Thursday.

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GAO: More Oversight Needed Over Medicare Advantage Provider Networks

The federal government needs to increase its oversight over private Medicare health plans to make sure seniors have adequate access to doctors and hospitals, according to a report released this week by congressional auditors.

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Insurers Find Out-Of-Network Bills As Much As 1,400 Percent Higher

It’s common knowledge that consumers have to pay more money if they choose doctors or hospitals outside of their insurance plan’s network.

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Congress and Obama Administration Seek Ways to Limit Increase in Medicare Premiums

Congress and the Obama administration are frantically seeking ways to hold down Medicare premiums that could rise by roughly 50 percent for some beneficiaries next year, according to lawmakers and Medicare officials.

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