Medicare is taking tough steps to stop agencies from filing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in false claims. The federal agency is proposing a nationwide cap that would reduce Medicare reimbursements to any agency treating homebound patients with diabetes or other chronic ailments. The proposed limit would be 10% of the bill.
A state program that helps pay most health insurance costs for 27,000 unemployed Massachusetts residents is on the cusp of going broke. The program is now setting off a debate between healthcare advocates and business leaders who say funding it is a burden on companies fighting for their survival. The state's Medical Security Program, financed solely by a tax on employers, will run out of money in January because of the surge in unemployment over the past year, state officials said.
Protests organized by a loose-knit coalition of conservative voters and advocacy groups started what is expected to be weeks of political and ideological clashes over the healthcare overhaul President Obama is trying to push through Congress. Conservative groups are harnessing social networking Web sites to organize their supporters. Democrats said they expected supporters of the healthcare overhaul to mobilize against Republican events later in the month.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia will cover the H1N1 vaccine for members who have benefit plans that include coverage for vaccines. BCBSGA decided to cover H1N1 vaccines because it was formally suggested by The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which recommends initial prioritization for those administering the vaccine for five key populations.
Drug companies—the leading source of lobbyist money—now have "a seat at the table" at the White House and on Capitol Hill as healthcare legislation works its way through Congress. The pharmaceutical industry's political transformation provides an example of Obama's approach to achieving his healthcare goals, which includes negotiation and compromise, even with those that the administration previously portrayed as a source of the problem.
Hospital stocks are on the rise after Tenet Healthcare and Health Management Associates both raised their 2009 outlook. Tenet and HMA shares have risen 6.4% and 7%, respectively. Tenet Healthcare experienced a 4.5% increase in revenues in 2009's second quarter, compared to the same period in 2008. President and CEO Trevor Fetter attributes the positive results to strong growth in outpatient volumes and solid pricing gains. Still, the company is projecting a $15 million loss for the quarter. HMA says it earned $32.6 million in the second quarter.