Jul 01 Obama aims to change conversation around the health care law By Darlene Superville, Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is aiming to use the momentum from a recent Supreme Court victory for his health care law to change the conversation from talk about undoing his signature domestic achievement to talk about how to improve… Continue reading
Apr 22 New warning to states: reject Medicaid expansion, risk losing federal funds By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Add Tennessee and Kansas to the list of states that have been warned by the Obama administration that failing to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act could jeopardize special funding to pay hospitals and doctors for treating the poor. Continue reading
Mar 24 Watch 7:05 The Medicaid bill that doesn't go away when you die By PBS News Hour Medicaid is thought of as free health insurance for the poor, but federal law requires that recipients pay for the costs of long-term care. And when patients die, Medicaid charges the expenses to the leftover assets in their estates, sometimes… Continue watching
Mar 17 GOP proposes $3.8 trillion budget that boosts defense, overhauls Medicare By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget plan for next year that effectively breaks tight budget limits on military spending while promising a familiar roster of big cuts to social programs such as food stamps and… Continue reading
Mar 04 Why are my health insurance premiums going up and up? By Philip Moeller A reader's insurance agent says that everyone's premiums are going up. But the reader wonders if he could be spending less. Making Sen$e Medicare Maven Phil Moeller tells him what to look for. Continue reading
Feb 19 Q&A: How do you pay for long-term care? By Bonnie Lawrence, Family Caregiver Alliance Long-term care in the U.S. is confusing, there is no doubt about it, and trying to sort through the elements and options can be stressful. But there are some resources to help. Here’s a selection of frequently asked questions that… Continue reading
Jan 05 Experimental program helps seniors move out of the nursing home By Sarah Jane Tribble, WCPN The average costs for an individual in the experimental program (which is called Money Follows the Person) is $49,000. Under traditional Medicaid it costs about $64,000 annually for nursing home care in Ohio. Continue reading
Jan 05 Maine governor spent $53K in fight to remove low-income young adults from Medicaid By Alanna Durkin, Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine -- Gov. Paul LePage's administration spent nearly $53,000 on private lawyers in its failed attempt to remove thousands of low-income young adults from the state's Medicaid program after being told by Maine's attorney general that he couldn't win… Continue reading
Dec 26 Watch 7:38 How a state's choice on Medicaid expansion affects hospitals By PBS News Hour In negotiating the creation of the Affordable Care Act, hospitals took a big gamble, with the expectation that they would soon have millions of new Medicaid customers. In states that expanded Medicaid, the bet paid off. Sarah Varney of Kaiser… Continue watching
Dec 12 Watch 7:47 Should a federal health program pay to house L.A.'s homeless? By Hari Sreenivasan, Jason Kane Continue watching