Medicare & Medicaid http://www.npr.org Medicare & Medicaid en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Thu, 16 May 2013 15:07:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Medicare & Medicaid http://www.npr.org Swell Of Goodwill For First Medicare Chief Confirmed Since 2004 Marilyn Tavenner, who has been running the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services in an acting capacity since late 2011, has a big job. The agency oversees health coverage for more than 100 million Americans. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:07:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/16/184529397/swell-of-goodwill-for-first-medicare-chief-confirmed-since-2004?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/16/184529397/swell-of-goodwill-for-first-medicare-chief-confirmed-since-2004?ft=1&f=126569504 Marilyn Tavenner, who has been running the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services in an acting capacity since late 2011, has a big job. The agency oversees health coverage for more than 100 million Americans.

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]]> Why Obama's Budget Could Make Health Waves The administration's budget still matters, even though it's late and the House and Senate have approved their own spending blueprints for fiscal 2014. President Obama laid down markers that could lead to changes in Medicare and Medicaid and affect funding for a broad array of health programs. Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:56:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/11/176898843/why-obamas-budget-could-make-health-waves?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/11/176898843/why-obamas-budget-could-make-health-waves?ft=1&f=126569504 The administration's budget still matters, even though it's late and the House and Senate have approved their own spending blueprints for fiscal 2014. President Obama laid down markers that could lead to changes in Medicare and Medicaid and affect funding for a broad array of health programs.

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]]> Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Attracts Other States' Interest Arkansas is proposing to enroll people newly eligible for Medicaid in the same private insurance plans available to individuals and small businesses. It's caught the attention of several other Republican-run states that had been holding out on the Medicaid expansion. Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:27:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/26/175301509/arkansas-medicaid-expansion-attracts-other-states-interest?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/26/175301509/arkansas-medicaid-expansion-attracts-other-states-interest?ft=1&f=126569504 Arkansas is proposing to enroll people newly eligible for Medicaid in the same private insurance plans available to individuals and small businesses. It's caught the attention of several other Republican-run states that had been holding out on the Medicaid expansion.

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]]> Arizona Seeks To Balance Patients And Profits With Home Care Can for-profit insurers save money while providing proper care for some of the sickest patients? For years, Arizona, a state that doesn't often champion government programs, has been enlisting private companies to manage the care for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicare. Wed, 20 Feb 2013 09:31:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/20/172482273/arizona-seeks-to-balance-patients-and-profits-with-home-care?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/20/172482273/arizona-seeks-to-balance-patients-and-profits-with-home-care?ft=1&f=126569504 Can for-profit insurers save money while providing proper care for some of the sickest patients? For years, Arizona, a state that doesn't often champion government programs, has been enlisting private companies to manage the care for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicare.

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]]> What The Health Law Will Bring In 2013 In October 2013, open enrollment begins, when people can start signing up for their 2014 coverage through the new state-run health exchanges. But most of the changes in 2013 are tax increases and cuts in tax deductions to pay for the 2014 changes. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:44:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/08/168344168/what-the-health-law-will-bring-in-2013?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/08/168344168/what-the-health-law-will-bring-in-2013?ft=1&f=126569504 In October 2013, open enrollment begins, when people can start signing up for their 2014 coverage through the new state-run health exchanges. But most of the changes in 2013 are tax increases and cuts in tax deductions to pay for the 2014 changes.

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]]> Making The Rich Pay More For Medicare Means testing Medicare is one of the few areas where Democrats have shown a willingness to even consider the subject of spending less on the program. But not everyone supports that idea. Fri, 14 Dec 2012 03:24:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/14/167194096/making-the-rich-pay-more-for-medicare?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/14/167194096/making-the-rich-pay-more-for-medicare?ft=1&f=126569504 Means testing Medicare is one of the few areas where Democrats have shown a willingness to even consider the subject of spending less on the program. But not everyone supports that idea.

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]]> Democrats Draw Line On Medicaid Cuts Democrats are worried that cuts to the program will go beyond the impact on the people it serves. It will also affect the Affordable Care Act, which calls for expanding Medicaid to as many as 16 million more people. The states are watching closely because the federal government has promised it will pay most of those additional costs. Wed, 12 Dec 2012 03:31:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/12/167000845/democrats-draw-line-on-medicaid-cuts?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/12/167000845/democrats-draw-line-on-medicaid-cuts?ft=1&f=126569504 Democrats are worried that cuts to the program will go beyond the impact on the people it serves. It will also affect the Affordable Care Act, which calls for expanding Medicaid to as many as 16 million more people. The states are watching closely because the federal government has promised it will pay most of those additional costs.

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]]> As Fiscal Cliff Looms, Medicare And Medicaid Face Uncertain Budget Futures With January's fiscal cliff on the horizon, Medicare and Medicaid face some serious budget woes. Two studies and a lawsuit could shape their fate. Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:29:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/25/163646649/medicare-medicaid-face-uncertain-budget-futures?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/25/163646649/medicare-medicaid-face-uncertain-budget-futures?ft=1&f=126569504 With January's fiscal cliff on the horizon, Medicare and Medicaid face some serious budget woes. Two studies and a lawsuit could shape their fate.

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]]> Insurance Exchanges Can Aid Some Medicare Beneficiaries As the long, slow demise of company-sponsored retiree health insurance continues, some firms are contracting with Medicare exchanges to try to ease the transition for their former employees. Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:56:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/17/163082387/insurance-exchanges-can-aid-some-medicare-beneficiaries?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/17/163082387/insurance-exchanges-can-aid-some-medicare-beneficiaries?ft=1&f=126569504 As the long, slow demise of company-sponsored retiree health insurance continues, some firms are contracting with Medicare exchanges to try to ease the transition for their former employees.

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]]> Medicare: Where Presidential Politics And Policy Collide Medicare is emerging as the most important health care voting issue — more important than even the Affordable Care Act. And with 10,000 baby boomers qualifying for the program every day, whoever wins the election will have to find some way to rein in spending. Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:43:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/16/163025327/medicare-where-preisdential-politics-and-policy-collide?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/16/163025327/medicare-where-preisdential-politics-and-policy-collide?ft=1&f=126569504 Medicare is emerging as the most important health care voting issue — more important than even the Affordable Care Act. And with 10,000 baby boomers qualifying for the program every day, whoever wins the election will have to find some way to rein in spending.

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]]> Vice Presidential Candidates Spar Over Medicare Fact checkers have raised some flags about some of the claims the candidates made regarding Medicare. Ryan tried to insist that his Medicare plan is bipartisan, while Biden at one point may have confused Medicare with Medicaid. Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:23:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/12/162822043/vice-presidential-candidates-spar-over-medicare?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/12/162822043/vice-presidential-candidates-spar-over-medicare?ft=1&f=126569504 Fact checkers have raised some flags about some of the claims the candidates made regarding Medicare. Ryan tried to insist that his Medicare plan is bipartisan, while Biden at one point may have confused Medicare with Medicaid.

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]]> Medicaid Fight Reinvigorated With Political Light On Health Care Medicaid is a campaign issue for the first time in years. Republicans cite studies to say the health care program for those with low incomes has failed, and they want to turn it back to the states. But Medicaid researchers say those studies don't portray Medicaid accurately. Mon, 13 Aug 2012 03:30:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/13/158666943/medicaid-fight-reinvigorated-with-political-light-on-health-care?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/08/13/158666943/medicaid-fight-reinvigorated-with-political-light-on-health-care?ft=1&f=126569504 Medicaid is a campaign issue for the first time in years. Republicans cite studies to say the health care program for those with low incomes has failed, and they want to turn it back to the states. But Medicaid researchers say those studies don't portray Medicaid accurately.

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]]> Recalculating The Health Bill In McAllen, Texas The government has identified hundreds of hospitals where Medicare patients are incurring especially high or low bills. Hospitals around McAllen, it turns out, aren't as terrible as they were made out to be, according to Medicare's calculations of how much it spent for the average patient from three days before admission to a month after discharge. Thu, 10 May 2012 11:42:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/05/10/152417875/recalculating-the-health-bill-in-mcallen-texas?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/05/10/152417875/recalculating-the-health-bill-in-mcallen-texas?ft=1&f=126569504 The government has identified hundreds of hospitals where Medicare patients are incurring especially high or low bills. Hospitals around McAllen, it turns out, aren't as terrible as they were made out to be, according to Medicare's calculations of how much it spent for the average patient from three days before admission to a month after discharge.

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]]> If The Health Care Overhaul Goes Down, Could Medicare Follow? Health experts warn that the Medicare system is so intertwined with the Affordable Care Act that if the Supreme Court strikes the law down, "it takes everything with it." Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:32:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/04/24/151242554/if-the-health-care-overhaul-goes-down-could-medicare-follow?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/04/24/151242554/if-the-health-care-overhaul-goes-down-could-medicare-follow?ft=1&f=126569504 Health experts warn that the Medicare system is so intertwined with the Affordable Care Act that if the Supreme Court strikes the law down, "it takes everything with it."

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]]> Answers To Your Questions About The Health Care Overhaul Law The health care overhaul law that President Obama championed and Republicans rejected turns two on Friday. Ahead of the big day, we asked for questions from our audiences online and on air. NPR's health policy correspondent Julie Rovner has the answers. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:56:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/03/22/149164172/answers-to-your-questions-about-the-health-care-overhaul-law?ft=1&f=126569504 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/03/22/149164172/answers-to-your-questions-about-the-health-care-overhaul-law?ft=1&f=126569504 The health care overhaul law that President Obama championed and Republicans rejected turns two on Friday. Ahead of the big day, we asked for questions from our audiences online and on air. NPR's health policy correspondent Julie Rovner has the answers.

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