CMS official: Medicaid block grants are not a viable option for state budgets
Jun 16, 2011
A top Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official said this week that turning Medicaid into a block grant program is not a viable solution for easing state budget woes.
HHS sending teams of budget experts to troubled states for Medicaid help
Feb 24, 2011
In an effort to help keep Medicaid off the chopping block in states with budget shortfalls, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has offered to send teams of HHS staffers to states that...
Should ‘auld acquaintance be forgot?’ A thought for nursing homes in the new year
By
Anthony Cirillo
Jan 11, 2011
Nursing homes are at their core residential communities for the elderly.
States stagger under weight of Medicaid growth, new Kaiser reports find
Oct 01, 2010
As Medicaid enrollment grows at unprecedented rates, many state governments are trimming “optional” services for enrollees, according to a handful of new reports released Thursday by the Kaiser...
MedPAC: Promising care models for dual eligibles face challenges
Apr 06, 2010
Problems persist when it comes to enrolling seniors dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid into integrated care programs, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission staff recently said.
Republicans set to debate healthcare ideas with Obama; Medicaid, malpractice caps may be on agenda
Feb 10, 2010
Republicans are scheduled to participate in a televised showdown with President Obama on healthcare reform on Feb. 25.
CLASS Act to survive, even if healthcare reform doesn’t
By
Liza Berger
Jan 21, 2010
Larry Minnix sounded weary but determined. The CLASS Act may become a casualty of healthcare reform, but it is not going away, the head of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging assured...
An argument for the SHIFT model of senior care
By
Jeff Petty
Nov 12, 2009
Here’s a new concept in aging services: the Senior Health and Housing Initiative For Transformation (SHIFT). It would provide an all-inclusive approach to care in a continuing care retirement community...
Medicaid payment bundling sparks controversy in Ohio
By
Liza Berger
Oct 28, 2009
Medicaid payment bundling is emerging as a key topic in national healthcare reform. As part of their research on bundling, federal lawmakers should pay attention to what is happening in Ohio.
Problems with the CLASS Act
By
Stephen A. Moses
Oct 23, 2009
The Kaiser Family Foundation recently held a briefing on the much-touted CLASS Act. There was much praise to go around. I heartily disagreed with most of it.