Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/medicare-medicaid/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115887.php WellCare officials on Monday announced that the health insurer has revised financial statements from 2004 through mid-2007 to include refunds owed to the Florida and Illinois Medicaid programs, the St. Petersburg Times reports (Hundley, St. Petersburg Times, 7/21). Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115886.php The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Tuesday plans to hold a hearing that "might turn up the heat on congressional leaders to include Medicaid relief for states in a second economic stimulus package," CongressDaily reports. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115885.php A CMS proposal under consideration would limit a practice used by pharmacy benefit managers known as "lock-in pricing" that can increase costs for beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit and bring them into the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap more quickly, the Wall Street Journal reports. The doughnut hole begins when total annual drug spending by beneficiaries and their health insurers reaches $2,510. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115892.php The Tennessean in a two-part series examined how physicians in the state are limiting the number of new Medicare beneficiaries they will treat and how some are charging concierge fees to accept new beneficiaries.In the first part of the series, the Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115738.php The U.S. faces a "financial crisis," in part because of spending on entitlement programs, and the "situation will become much worse as Americans age and health care costs rise," Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, writes in a Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115730.php House Democrats are planning a second, $50 billion economic stimulus package that could include funds for state Medicaid programs, CongressDaily reports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, "I would hope we could have about a $50 billion (package)," adding, "You have to look at what helps stimulate the economy without spending more money than you should because you weight the economy down by going deeper into debt. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115737.php Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115729.php Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) last week introduced a bill (HR 6506) that would require all states to submit annual reports on SCHIP enrollment, CQ HealthBeat reports.Under the bill, states would be required to disclose the number of children that received a primary care visit through SCHIP. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115571.php While mainstream news coverage is still a primary source of information for the latest in policy debates and the health care marketplace, online blogs have become a significant part of the media landscape, often presenting new perspectives on policy issues and drawing attention to under-reported topics. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115560.php A bipartisan group of 41 senators led by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Health Subcommittee Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115599.php The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have voted to override President's George W. Bush's veto of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. In response Bruce T. Roberts, RPh, executive vice president and CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), issued the following statement: "America's 23,000 community pharmacies have just been given the prescription for success in the healthcare marketplace. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115504.php The American Optometric Association (AOA) applauds Members of Congress from both parties for voting to override President Bush's veto of legislation passed to stop massive cuts in the Medicare program. Concerned optometrists from across the country have been calling Capitol Hill to urge their representatives in Congress to safeguard patient access to eye and vision care through Medicare. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115534.php As part of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Rule-1553-P, effective October 1, 2008, Medicare will no longer pay for eight conditions that can be acquired by patients during hospital stays that could have been reasonably prevented by following evidence based guidelines. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115495.php The California Academy of Family Physicians today congratulated the state's Congressional delegation on protecting seniors' health care by overriding President Bush's veto of key Medicare legislation. Both the House and Senate yesterday rejected the President's attempt to block legislation canceling a 10.6% cut in physician pay that took effect July 1 in the federal Medicare program. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115445.php The new Medicare law that passed on Tuesday not only delays for 18 months a 10.6% reduction to physician fees, it also contains provisions that directly affect beneficiaries, the Wall Street Journal reports. The law reduces the copayment for mental health services from 50% to 20%, which is consistent with copays for other health services. It will be phased in through 2014. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115444.php General Motors will contract with benefits consultant firm Extend Health to provide guidance to retirees in choosing appropriate Medicare plans to replace benefits previously offered by GM, the Detroit Free Press reports. The automaker on Tuesday Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115450.php Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine on Tuesday announced the formation of a 10-member panel to help the department revamp its health care delivery system for low-income and uninsured residents, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. Speaking at a Louisiana State University Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115389.php U.S. Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD, R-Southwest Louisiana, introduced the Improving Children's Doctor Access Act of 2008, H.R. 6506, to encourage states to measure and report access problems for low-income children in S-CHIP and to ensure that these children remain a top priority in states' enrollment efforts. "I am proud to support S-CHIP and Louisiana's LaCHIP," Boustany said. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115385.php The Center for Medicare Advocacy applauds the courageous members of Congress who passed H.R. 6331, the "Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008." "This legislation preserves the most important choice for Medicare beneficiaries - the choice of doctor," said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. "Had the physicians' pay cut been allowed to go into effect, Medicare beneficiaries would have been left without care. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115334.php More than 11,000 West Virginia Medicaid beneficiaries have enrolled in the new "enhanced" benefits program, Mountain Health Choices, which requires residents to sign personal responsibility pledges stating that they will take steps to improve their health, the Charleston Gazette reports. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115333.php Louisiana's $29.9 billion fiscal year 2009 budget, which Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) signed into law on Monday, could result in cuts to state health programs for low-income, elderly and uninsured state residents, state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said on Monday, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. The budget allocates $6. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115325.php A 10.6% reduction to Medicare physician fees will be delayed for 18 months because legislation (HR 6331) became law on Tuesday after both chambers of Congress voted to override President Bush's veto of the bill earlier in the day, the Wall Street Journal reports (Wilde Mathews, Wall Street Journal, 7/16). The reduction in fees took effect on July 1, but Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115355.php Congress has been successful in overriding President Bush's veto of the Medicare legislation, including funding for diabetes research, that was passed by the House last month and by the Senate last week. The legislation includes a two year extension of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), providing $300 million for type 1 diabetes research ($150 million per year for two years). Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115276.php The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced payment of more than $36 million in bonus payments to many of the more than 56,700 health professionals who satisfactorily reported quality information to Medicare under the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). "Creating a value-based purchasing system is a critical way to improve our health care systems. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115148.php House Democratic leaders in a July 11 letter requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct a review of the Medicare recovery audit contractor program that led to the recovery of $694 million in Medicare overpayments to hospitals and other health care providers between 2005 and March,