Author archive for lhigashi

By Elizabeth G. TaylorAsk someone to list the most fundamental Supreme Court cases impacting women's health, and Griswold v. Connecticut, decided fifty years ago, on June 7, 1965,is unlikely to rise to the top; few Americans outside of health and legal spheres have ever heard of it. Yet the…

By Bill TolandWith Medicaid enrollment growing nationally and in Pennsylvania, the federal government is proposing new oversight of privately administered Medicaid plans, tightening profit guidelines for insurers and keeping a closer eye on doctor availability for patients....The proposed regulations, issued Tuesday, represent the first major update to federal Medicaid…

By Jay HancockDemocrats want wider health care coverage. Republicans want privatization of government programs. They're both getting their way with the Medicaid program for children and the poor.Medicaid's expansion under the Affordable Care Act has drawn lots of attention, although some states have resisted. Medicaid, which serves nearly 68…

By Jay HancockSweeping proposals disclosed Tuesday would create profit guidelines for private Medicaid plans as well as new standards for the plans' doctor and hospital networks and rules to coordinate Medicaid insurance more closely with other coverage....Sarah Somers, an attorney with the National Health Law Program, which has long…

By mlawrenceThe Affordable Care Act is sprawling. Some of its myriad provisions may (or may not!) reduce healthcare costs. Think of accountable care organizations, the hospital readmission reduction program, or even the preventive services mandate. And so, the Act's success is often evaluated by asking whether it has helped…