Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. The Louisiana Joint Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday unanimously approved a plan that would allow the administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) to apply for a federal waiver to overhaul the state’s Medicaid program, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 12/19). Under the “Louisiana Health First […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. 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. To provide complete coverage […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. Many Medicare beneficiaries who use portable oxygen have expressed concerns that they will lose Medicare coverage of their oxygen supplies when a new CMS rule change takes effect on Jan. 1, 2009, Scripps Howard/Detroit News reports (Rauda, Scripps Howard/Detroit News, 12/19). Click title to read more… The rule will limit […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. Summaries about recent news involving health care in the state budgets of California, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington state appear in this article. Click title to read more… California: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Thursday said he would veto an $18 billion plan by state […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. The Boston Globe on Friday examined how “[k]ey players in the debate over how to provide health care coverage for the nation’s 47 million uninsured” residents believe that the Massachusetts health insurance law is “an important model for what Washington could do and how to get it done.” The state […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. Many health policy analysts “disagree over whether health reform will succeed, and whether it should be” President-elect Barack Obama’s “first priority,” particularly “amid a sinking economy,” USA Today reports. According to USA Today, “for significant change to occur, health care must stay a priority for his administration and for Congress,” […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 19, 2008. Two new reports from the Congressional Budget Office outline “more than a few fiscal challenges for lawmakers hoping to write legislation” to overhaul the U.S. health care system, CQ Today reports. According to CBO, “serious concerns exist about the efficiency of the health care system, but no simple solutions are […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 18, 2008. CMS on Thursday will post online the quality ratings of 16,000 individual nursing homes across the U.S. based on a one- to five-star scale, USA Today reports (Appleby et al., USA Today, 12/18). The ratings are based on data from state inspections, reports on staffing and quality measures. The homes […]
Kaisernetwork.org – Dec. 18, 2008. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said a vote on health care overhaul legislation likely would not occur during the first 100 days of the new Congress and could be put off until late 2009 or 2010, The Hill reports. Congress has several smaller […]