Under a nearly approved waiver, the state of WA will focus on the social needs of its Medicaid population. Originally published on Modern Healthcare.

Find the slides that were used by the “STAR Kids Rollout – What You Need to Know” webinar here! For those who missed our webinar or want to review.

By Virgil Dickson for Modern Healthcare Health plans and state Medicaid directors disagree on how the CMS should fix its problem of underpaying plans with high numbers of dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. In October, the CMS announced it would modify its risk-adjustment model after an analysis of reimbursement data revealed that some health plans… Continue reading Payers, States at Odds on CMS Plan to Fix Dual-Eligible Underpayment

by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor The moral of the story about a disagreement over what Blue Shield of California is expected to do in return for approval to enter the Medi-Cal managed care market appears to be “pay close attention to how things are worded.” Consumer advocates and state officials thought the agreement this… Continue reading Disagreement Over Charity Contributions Simmers in Blue Shield’s Care1st Deal

By Dan Diamond for Califonia Healthline By sheer number of covered lives, Kaiser Permanente has been California’s largest health insurer for decades. But if Anthem gets its way — no longer. The Indianapolis-based insurer is currently the second-largest health insurer in the Golden State, and one of the three largest health insurers in the nation. Its planned… Continue reading What the Anthem-Cigna Mega-Merger Could Mean for California

As State Announces Medicaid Cuts, Access to Care is Already a Growing Problem By Megan Flynn for the Houston Press When the Texas Health and Human Services Commission released its modified Medicaid rate cuts on September 4, they had no effect on Advocate Pediatric Home Care. By then, the home care agency had already laid… Continue reading As State Announces Medicaid Cuts, Access to Care is Already a Growing Problem

By Eric Galatas for the Colorado News Connection Coloradans are embracing the “medical home” model for health-care delivery, according to a new report from the Colorado Health Foundation. In a medical home, the patient is the focus, and doctors — who traditionally play the “starring role” in clinics — become part of a team of… Continue reading Medical Homes: More Colorado Clinics Take A Team Approach To Good Health

Almost two million people over age 65, seniors, or nearly 6 percent of those Americans (excluding nursing home residents), rarely or never leave their homes ...

Thousands of families with a disabled or deceased parent may have received a lower subsidy than they deserved to buy health coverage through the federal insurance marketplace as a result of a calculation error by the federal government. In addition, some who should have been eligible for Medicaid may have been turned away, leaving them on the… Continue reading Thousands May Have Been Shorted On Insurance Subsidies After Calculation Error

Published by Autism Speaks WASHINGTON, DC — President Obama signed into law the ABLE Act today, following a bipartisan vote in the Senate earlier this week.  The signing culminated an eight-year campaign to gain approval for tax-free savings accounts to help individuals and families finance their longterm  disability needs. Sponsored by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA)… Continue reading The Able Act is Law