Missouri High Court Says Medicaid Expansion ‘Valid’

A Mississippi pharmacist pleaded guilty today for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors for the referral of medically unnecessary compounded prescription medications that were ultimately dispensed by his pharmacies. A federal district court judge will…

On June 17 the Affordable Care Act survived a third attempt to eliminate it via the Supreme Court. If that mood holds, what's next for healthcare in the United States, and what values should guide what comes next? According to the Department of Health and Human Services, as of June 2021, “31 million Americans now have coverage through the Affordable Care Act.”

Michigan health insurers are seeking bigger rate increases next year from some employers and individuals as health care spending returns to “normal” after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the pandemic has eased, Michigan health insurers are seeing patients return to clinics and hospitals. More: Some fear new Michigan no-fault auto insurance rule…

Jul. 20— The state program that provides insurance for health insurers was renewed for one year by Minnesota legislators, and some lawmakers worry that's not enough to keep premiums down in coming years. Tama Theis in a July 1 newsletter, just after the budget became law. Dan Wolgamott in a text message to the St. Cloud Times. “

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. U.S. pharmacies collecting millions of Medicare dollars would be offered incentives to do more than simply push pills. If they don't meet the new standards, such as making sure their patients receive their medications and get flu and pneumonia shots, they'll have to give up some of that Medicare funding.

As the pandemic wanes, many companies are asking their employees to return to the office. However, a majority of remote U.S. workers who went virtual during the pandemic have no desire to return to the office and may move to a new job if work from home policies are revoked. Additionally, many would consider permanently relocating to a new city or community if they…

The CDC said the delta variant, a version of the coronavirus first identified in India, was first detected in the U.S. in January. It’s now spreading in more than 90 countries.

Jul. 9— JEFFERSON CITY— Leaders of the Republican-controlled Missouri House have joined the court battle over their refusal to expand Medicaid to 275,000 low-income people. In a brief filed this week, the House called on the Missouri Supreme Court to uphold a decision last month by a Cole County judge striking down a citizen-led effort to expand the…

Jul. 7— JEFFERSON CITY— A dozen health clinics have joined the push to convince Missouri's highest court to force the Legislature and Gov. In a brief filed Friday, the 12 federally qualified health centers, including CareSTL Health in St. Louis, sided with a coalition of business groups and health care organizations in urging the Missouri Supreme Court to sign off…

Jul. 5— A provision in Ohio's new two year budget will allow health care workers, hospitals and health insurance providers to deny services that violate their moral or religious beliefs. While talking Thursday about the budget he signed Wednesday night, Ohio Gov. Todd Kepler, southwest medical director of Equitas Health, a nonprofit health care system serving…

Jul. 3— The coronavirus pandemic and the economic upheaval it produced last year both trimmed the rolls of those insured by Tennessee's biggest health insurer and forced some costlier treatments and prevention measures. As a result, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee ended up earning $355 million in net income on just under $18.4 billion in revenues in 2020,…

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, July 1– The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network issued the following news release on June 30, 2021:. Health and patient advocacy groups submitted an amicus curiae brief today, supported by Missouri- based health economists and law professors, in the Missouri Supreme Court, noting the vital role that the implementation of…

When this happens in two consecutive years, the president and Congress are required- by law- to act. And Congress must then consider the legislation on an expedited basis. Yet neither the White House nor Congress has moved to slow the cost increase and decrease Medicare's growing dependence on general revenue financing.

Employers are reopening their offices and transitioning their workers back to either an in-person or a hybrid workplace. So what does this mean for human resource teams? David Pearson, senior vice president with ExtensisHR, gave some advice to health insurance and benefits brokers during the National Association of Health Underwriters virtual annual convention.

Debbie Dingell, D- Dearborn, wants Congress to provide states more funding in the future to expand home and community-based care to Medicaid recipients and to make sure the people providing those services are better paid. Home and community-based programs in Michigan and other states allow people who otherwise might need to be moved into nursing facilities…

Medicaid expansion has been a top priority for Kansas Democrats, notably Gov. A bill introduced in Congress last week to let cities and counties opt in to expand Medicaid is gaining attention from advocates in Kansas, who have long pushed for increase eligibility in the program statewide, a plan which has been thwarted by legislative Republicans.

Expansion supporters had hoped he would order the state to implement the program beginning July 1, even though the Republican-controlled General Assembly refused to fund it. “If the Court allows them to spend other state revenues by initiative, such action would deprive the General Assembly of its constitutional right to appropriate revenues in all other…

–As health and wellness continue to evolve, many Americans have started to move towards more natural remedies to treat their illnesses. Some even feel doctors are too quick to prescribe prescription drugs, especially when alternative medicines can be just as effective. Media Contact: Nadia Gonzalez [email protected]

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act breathed a sigh of relief heard coast to coast last week, when the Supreme Court turned away what looks like the last federal challenge seeking to overturn the law on constitutional grounds. “The Supreme Court decision really does mark the end to the broadside challenge into the Affordable Care Act,” says Nicholas Bagley of…

AMY G OLDSTEIN The Washington Post. From February 2020 through January, Medicaid enrollment climbed nationwide by 9.7 million, according to a report based on the most recent available data and expected to be released Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But according to federal health officials and other Medicaid experts, much of the…

Missouri faces a budget shortfall of $1.4 billion over the next two years without the tax, the Republican governor said in an afternoon news conference, where he outlined a raft of draconian reductions he said would begin July 1 unless lawmakers act quickly. Parson's ultimatum came as Republicans remain divided over renewing a tax on hospitals that provides…

Jun. 21— More than 114,000 New Hampshire residents have enrolled in Obamacare for 2021, program advocates said Monday. Jayme Simoes, New Hampshire director of Protect Our Care, noted that national enrollment numbers for Obamacare are at record highs. “These New Hampshire enrollment numbers are further proof that the ACA works, is resilient, and that Americans…

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–LTCG has just released its 2020 Cost of Care report and analysis. Now in its eighth year,…

In 2030, when the youngest of the baby boom generation will have reached the age of eligibility, the total number of Medicare enrollees is expected to reach 81.5 million, up 27% from 2020' s 64.3 million. Dave Rich, CEO of Ensurem, a Florida- based insurance technology and product distribution firm, says, “This wave of baby boomers, whose needs and expectations are…

Pennsylvania is trying for the third time since 2015 to replace its Medicaid contracts— worth a total of $65 billion over the last five years— with companies that manage physical health benefits for 2.6 million Pennsylvanians. “The plans see this as really big business,” said Katherine Hempstead, a senior policy adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the…

Thus ended the third attempt by Republicans to use the Supreme Court to sabotage the ACA, all unsuccessful. Of course, in 2016, Republicans won control of the House, Senate and presidency on a platform that included the promise to repeal and replace “Obamacare” with “something terrific,” in the words of former President Trump. The Republicans failed and should stop…

The Maine House voted to advance a measure Thursday sponsored by Rep. Heidi Brooks, D- Lewiston, that would allow Maine to adopt a single-payer health care model contingent on federal law. “This legislation sends a signal to our federal delegation that Maine is ready to adopt a healthcare system that is accessible, affordable and equitable.

“The Path Forward” will be theme of the 2021 National Association of Health Underwriters virtual annual conference, June 27-29. The…

Through Aug. 15, more than 35,000 uninsured Kentuckians with incomes greater than 400 percent of the federal poverty level can sign up for a recently launched health insurance marketplace subsidy.

In connection with June’s Men’s Health Month, created to bring awareness of male-specific health issues, Aflac released findings of its…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s Health Insurance Plans announced a refreshed brand and updated mission that better aligns with its work,…

Mike Parson's administration is facing a new lawsuit in the fight over Medicaid expansion in Missouri. Two St. Louis- area residents, in a suit filed Friday, are asking a Cole County judge to include their litigation with a previously filed lawsuit set to get underway on June 18. The duo include Luke Barber, 26, who is an autistic grocery store worker from St. Louis…

—The Biden administration is reevaluating a plan by Georgia officials to overhaul how state residents buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act as federal officials try to boost former President Barack Obama’ s signature health care law. “In its application, Georgia neither quantified the size of the expected investment by the private sector nor…

When I sit down with a patient for that important conversation about which medication he or she should take, both of us are focused on getting the best results possible. That's what patient-centered care is all about. But in reality, these companies run a $400 billion a year market by routinely delaying, denying or switching patients' medications to maximize…

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker, comes to his new role well known for pursuing an unabashedly progressive agenda on criminal justice issues. Bonta, 49, was an infant when his family, in 1971, moved to California from the Philippines, where his parents worked as mis. In the weeks since, Bonta has beefed up the number of…

Some voices are sounding more positive, given the availability of vaccines in most parts of the country and the substantial number of people who have already been vaccinated in the United States. A recent report projects U.S. hospital revenue in 2021 will fall somewhere between $53 billion and $122 billion short of where it had been prior to the pandemic.b The…

The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority— or Pennie— is the state's health insurance marketplace. It helps accessibility and affordability of individual health coverage for individuals and families by connecting them with coverage providers, Scott Yeager, Pennie's outreach manager, said. Due to COVID-19, Pennie has extended its enrollment…

Dear Editor: In response to your May 24th article, “CT Lawmakers Drop Plan to Expand State Health Insurance,” we have…

With one-fifth of the nation's medically uninsured, Texas has by far the largest healthcare insurance problem in the U.S.. It also stated that the cost of uncompensated care to Texas hospitals/MDs would rise to over $12 billion by 2040 from $3.5 billion in 2019. Of course, to offset these loses, costs to insured Texas patients will rise.

—Two leading congressional Democrats issued a call Wednesday for ideas on a“ public option” health insurance plan, a campaign promise of President Joe Biden's that faces long odds politically. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Critics call the public option a step toward a government-run plan for all, which could open Democrats to GOP accusations of“ socialism”…

SACRAMENTO, CA 20 May 2021 – Advertising on Google for health insurance providers just got more complicated. Starting on June…

Assessing the true nature of the HI trust fund's current financial status is time sensitive as Congress is expected to consider additional changes to the Medicare program this year. “Either through reconciliation or regular order, there is every expectation that Congress will consider additional health care related legislation this year…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In 1988, researchers discovered that a mutation in a tiny worm’s genes could extend its lifespan by…

A settlement has been reached between the Connecticut Insurance Department, Michael Scheinman, a state licensed insurance producer, and Accu-Health Insurance Advisors, LLC, to settle an investigation into selling a medical discount plan as an insurance product.