Category: CMS

How do you spend $48 million in unbudgeted taxpayer money without getting an OK from elected lawmakers? In the District of Columbia, there’s pretty much only one way, and that’s the way Mayor Vincent C. Gray is proposing to settle a high-stakes dispute with D.C. Chartered Health Plan. Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro confirmed Wednesday that…

Federal officials remind Florida lawmakers that it is not too late to opt into the program, while in Virginia, Politico reports the issue could be decided by this fall’s gubernatorial election. Also, an Arizona push to get the issue on the ballot in November may fail because of paperwork errors and the Michigan Senate considers…

Also in the news, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is positioning himself to be the lead sponsor of legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Meanwhile, the nursing home industry is stepping up its lobbying efforts to protect its Medicare funding. From: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130726/Two-GOP-senators-push-to-choke-off-IRS-health-law-implementation-funds.aspx

Today’s headlines include reports about WellPoint’s second-quarter profits and the Insitute of Medicine’s findings about geographic varitions in Medicare spending. From: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130725/First-Edition-July-25-2013.aspx

A selection of health policy stories from the District of Columbia, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, Illinois, North Carolina, Colorado and California. From: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130724/State-highlights-Medicaid-pilot-project-costs-2432B-more-than-expected.aspx

News outlets report on other developments related to state decisions about whether to expand the federal-state program for the poor in Idaho, West Virginia and California. From: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130724/Illinois-Gov-Quinn-signs-Medicaid-expansion-into-law.aspx

Medical Group Management Association President and CEO Susan Turney is “extremely concerned” that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will not conduct external ICD-10 testing with external trading partners, like physician practices. read more From: http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/mgma-calls-external-icd-10-testing/2013-07-23?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

The top attorney for the state of Florida asked a federal appeals court today to reinstate a Florida law that regulates what physicians can ask patients about gun ownership, asserting that the law does not actually stifle such questions. Yes, it does, countered a lawyer representing several Florida medical societies and individual physicians who challenged…

Coventry Health Care of Missouri, Inc. has signed an agreement with Washington University School of Medicine adding the school’s physicians to two of Coventry’s Medicare networks. Under the agreement, effective July 1, members of Coventry’s Gold Advantage and Advantra Medicare Advantage plans can receive covered services, at in-network rates, from The School of Medicine physicians.…

After analyzing 2003-2004 data of patients who underwent spinal surgery at two medical institutions, they found that Medicaid beneficiaries were at much higher risk of experiencing any type of complication than patients who are privately insured. “The results of our study further support the growing body of literature that Medicaid patients have higher rates of…