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It's A GO! New Jersey State Combines Medicaid Waivers For Seniors & Adults With Physical Disabilities
Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Commissioner Heather Howard announced today the State has received approval from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to consolidate three Medicaid-supported home and community-based service programs currently operated by DHSS into a single program known as Global Options (GO) for Long Term Care.

Medicare Reminds Beneficiaries To Review Their Prescription Drug Coverage And Health Plan Needs For 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continued to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to review their current prescription drug and health care coverage before the annual enrollment period ends on Dec. 31 to ensure they are in a plan that will best meet their needs in 2009. Beneficiaries who wish to enroll for the first time or change their coverage for 2009 should do so as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition in the new year.

CMS Strengthens Efforts To Fight Medicare Waste, Fraud And Abuse
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is requiring certain durable medical equipment suppliers to post a surety bond. In addition, CMS is announcing that it has revoked the billing privileges of more than 1,100 medical equipment suppliers in south Florida and southern California and suspending payments to home health agencies in the Miami-Dade, Fla. area.

Study Shows Correlation In New Mexico Between Childhood Immunization Rates And Medicaid Enrollment
New Mexico has the highest proportion of children in the nation enrolled in Medicaid. An article published in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE highlights research showing that childhood immunization rates in the state suffered when barriers increased to children's receiving Medicaid coverage. Researchers at the University of Toronto, University of New Mexico, and New Mexico Department of Health conducted the study. Dr.

Medicare Rebate For Breast MRI, Australia
A Medicare rebate for an MRI breast scan will be available to women under 50 at high risk of breast cancer and with no symptoms from 1 February 2009. Being at high risk of breast cancer can cause significant anxiety. These scans can help reduce unnecessary concern, and help pick up breast cancer early.

Medicaid Benchmark Plans And Co-payment Final Rules Released
The final regulations on Medicaid state flexibility on benchmark plans and Medicaid's cost-sharing provisions, implementing section 6044 and section 6041-6043 of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), were released on December 3 and November 25, respectively. They can be accessed here and here.

Health Plan Restraints May Keep Patients From Choosing Quality Care
Public reports on the quality of care delivered by health plans might motivate patients to choose better providers - if they are not constrained by issues of cost and accessibility to doctors, according to a review of recent studies.

CBO Predicts Medicare Public Buy-In Would Lead To Higher Insured Rates And Lower Costs
A detailed report issued by the Congressional Budget Office comparing health care reform options found that a plan to allow Americans to buy into Medicare before turning 65 would lead to more people with health coverage and lower costs than private insurance coverage. The CBO studied a limited Medicare buy-in option for those between 62 and 64 years old. The CBO estimates that the annual premium for single coverage in 2011 would be about $7,600 including drug coverage.

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Medicaid News In Three States
Summaries of recent news involving Medicaid in Louisiana, Rhode Island and Texas appear below.Louisiana: Louisiana's Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget on Friday approved Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R) plan to seek a federal Medicaid waiver that would allow the state to overhaul the health coverage program, the

Medicare Rule, Finances Likely Affect Blacks' Use Of End-Of-Life Hospice Services, Study Finds
Blacks might be less likely than whites to seek end-of-life hospice care because of financial barriers and a Medicare rule that requires hospice patients to forgo additional curative treatments, according to a study published in the journal Cancer, Reuters Health reports. For the study, lead researcher Jessica Fishman of the

GAO Report Examines Effect Of Part D Expense Cap On Ryan White Grantees
"Ryan White Care Act: First-Year Experiences Under the Part D Administrative Expense Cap" (.pdf), Government Accountability Office: The report was conducted to examine the effect of the

Michigan BCBS Receives Warning About Alleged Improper Marketing Practices Of Medigap Policies
Michigan's Office of the Attorney General has issued a warning to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and its agents to stop what state officials believe are improper marketing practices for supplemental Medicare policies, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Many States Experience Increases In Medicaid Enrollment As Tax Revenues Fall Below Projections
The AP/San Francisco Chronicle on Monday examined how "[s]ince the recession began a year ago, many states have seen increases in the Medicaid rolls just as tax revenues are falling below projections." According to the AP/Chronicle, the unemployment rate has increased to 6.7% from 4.7% at the beginning of the recession in December 2007.

Center For Medicare Advocacy Issues New Recommendations For Real ReformsTo Help Medicare Beneficiaries And Taxpayers
The Center for Medicare Advocacy, the nation's most experienced Medicare advocacy organization, today released a report detailing specific methods for keeping Medicare a vital, efficient and cost-effective public program.

Medicare AAA Screening Benefit Extended To 12 Months
A one-time, free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening for at-risk Medicare beneficiaries will be available for 12 months after enrollment beginning January 1, 2009. The benefit became law on February 8, 2006 and was originally offered for a six-month period after enrollment beginning January 1, 2007. Nearly 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with AAA annually; approximately 15,000 of these cases may be severe enough to cause death if not treated.