Medicare Records Suggest Many Hospice Patients Don’t Get Proper End-Of-Life Care.

The Washington Post(5/3, A1, Whoriskey, Keating) reports on its front page in an article of nearly 3,400 words on its findings after examining hospice care in the US, partly through Medicare billing records. The Post found that many hospice providers fell short of what patients and their families ex…

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Arkansas Medicaid Director Resigning.

The AP (5/5) reported that Andy Allison, who has run Arkansas’ Medicaid program since 2011, announced his resignation on Friday. Allison will resign on June 1. Northwest Arkansas Online (5/2) quoted from Allison’s announcement: “Gov. Beebe, John Selig and DHS Deputy Director Janie Huddleston g…

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CMS Proposals Draw Attention.

Several recent proposals for Medicare reimbursement were released last week by CMS, drawing media and industry attention. The Congressional Quarterly (5/2, Reichard, Subscription Publication) reported on the looming “big lobbying push” by hospitals over proposed changes to Medicare reimbursement…

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Medicaid Expansion Debates Continue.

Several states are continuing to consider the possibility of Medicaid expansion, while states with such programs in place are evaluating their effectiveness. In Washington state, the AP (5/4, Corte) reported that the state’s expanded Medicaid program has enrolled more people than anticipated. Now,…

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ACA Sign-Ups Show Wide Variation By State, Ethnicity.

NPR Share to Facebook (5/2, Whitney) reports in its “Shots” blog on the picture of the Affordable Care Act that emerged from new data released Thursday. When insurance enrollment on exchanges and through brokers and on Medicaid expansion is taken together, enrollment overall was 17.8 million or …

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CMS Declines Louisiana’s Hospital Privatization Proposal.

The AP (5/3, Deslatte) reported that on Friday, the CMS “rejected Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s financing plans for the privatization of six state-owned hospitals that care for the poor and uninsured.” The article called this “a potentially significant blow to the state’s health care opera…

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ACA Enrollees Since End Of February More Likely To Choose Cheaper Plan.

The Washington Post (5/2, Millman) reported in its “Wonkblog” that after the release of 2014’s final enrollment report, we now “have a final look at what types of new health plans the 8 million Americans who signed up for Obamacare are choosing.” The blog notes that “the nearly 4 million…

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HUD Inspector General Will Investigate Claims Of ACA Promotion.

The Washington Examiner (5/4, Schow) cites reporting by The Hill in an account that the inspector general’s office for the Department of Housing and Urban Development said Friday it will investigate whether the agency “improperly promoted and implemented Obamacare.” The probe was requested by …

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Senate Panel Considers Nomination Of Burwell To HHS.

The Hill (5/3, Cox) reports in its “Floor Action” blog that Republicans are likely to “grill” HHS Secretary-nominee Sylvia Burwell on the Affordable Care Act in a nomination hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Moreover, some Republicans in the House are urg…

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All State Exchanges But One Failed To Meet Goal For Youth ACA Sign-Ups.

The Daily Caller (5/3, Hurtubise) reports that “all state Obamacare exchanges but one failed to meet the percentage of young enrollees experts considered necessary to keep premiums low, despite the surge of sign-ups the last month.” The piece notes that “Washington, D.C. took an early lead in …

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Insurers Consider Expanding Exchange Offerings.

In Washington state, the Seattle Times (5/5, Ostrom) reports that four additional health insurers have expressed interest in joining Washington Healthplanfinder. The four for-profit companies would join the existing eight exchange providers, all of whom plan to remain in the exchange. The new entran…

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Maryland’s Plan To Rebuild Insurance Exchange Met With Skepticism, Criticism.

The Washington Post (5/3, Johnson, Flaherty) reports on Maryland’s plan to rebuild its problematic health insurance exchange “on a time schedule that leaves no room for error, without the endorsement of the federal government or a clear plan for funding the project.” Moreover, the same state o…

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