The House's plan to cut government spending, including on Medicaid, to help pay for the extension of tax cuts is already hitting snags. The House budget resolution, which sets broad plans for GOP efforts to cut taxes, directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut government spending by $880 billion over a decade. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said hitting that target would require significant cuts to Medicaid.
A Yale University economist contends the proposed merger of Union Health and Terre Haute Regional Hospital would not be good for consumers. Zack Cooper, an associate professor at Yale and the director of the university's Tobin Center for Economic Policy, in a news release sent Tuesday contends the merger would raise commercial health care prices of the two entities 10% to 30%, raise local insurance premiums by 3% to 10%, and lower nurses’ wages by approximately 5%.
Any reduction in federal Medicaid spending would leave states with tough choices about how to offset reductions through tax increases or cuts to other programs, like education. If states are not able to offset the loss of federal funds with new taxes or reductions in other state spending, states would have to make cuts to their Medicaid programs.
The Senate Finance committee voted along party lines Tuesday to recommend Oz to the full Senate. That vote is expected soon. Here are five things to know about Oz and the job he's up for.
A Republican lawmaker has gone after UnitedHealthcare over its Medicare plan, calling the insurance company the "worst offender" in the industry. North Carolina Republican Rep. Greg Murphy on Fox Business on Monday discussed Republicans' efforts to reduce Medicare and Medicaid fraud, saying that UnitedHealthcare was "pushing" the boundaries of Medicare fraud. Newsweek spoke with experts about Murphy's comments.
Physical therapy providers are losing a reimbursement battle with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and one of metro Detroit's largest clinic chains says it may close or consolidate more locations if The Blues doesn't let up on the financial squeeze. Blue Cross is starting a new billing policy April 1 for physical therapy providers that, by the health insurer's calculation, would result in an average 17% reimbursement cut for PT clinics.