Author: Howard Green

23 Jan MEDICAID IN 2019

Last year, there were multiple attempts to reform the Medicaid program. While efforts at the federal level met resistance, multiple reform initiatives took place at the state level.  These measures included legislation, program expansion, demonstration waivers, eligibility restrictions, and work requirements. Some of these changes...

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17 Jan EXECUTIVE ORDER: MEDI-CAL TO NEGOTIATE DRUG PRICES

California’s newly elected governor; Gavin Newsom (D) has recently made a legislative step to address skyrocketing drug prices. Shortly after he was sworn in last week, Newsom signed an executive order making the state responsible for negotiating drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies. In addition,...

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20 Dec TEXAS JUDGE RULES THE ACA UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in jeopardy after a federal district court judge ruled the law unconstitutional. On Friday, Judge Reed C. O’Connor (TX) sided with twenty Republican legislators and ruled the law unconstitutional after congress passed the December 2017 tax bill. Last years...

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09 Nov 2018 MIDTERMS FAVOR MEDICAID EXPANSION

Medicaid expansion was an important issue in the 2018 midterm elections. Three states – Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah - successfully passed ballot initiatives to expand their Medicaid programs, while Kansas and Maine elected pro-expansion governors. As a result, almost 500,000 additional low-income citizens will be...

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26 Oct PREVENTING IMPROPER MEDICAID PAYMENTS

Of the $4 trillion spent by the government in 2017, nearly $141 billion were improper payments. These are payments made in error either to the wrong recipient, in the incorrect amount, or for a service that is not legitimate. Fraud, antiquated data systems, and methodologies...

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09 Oct HEALTHCARE MEGA-MERGERS

Over the last year, there has been a wave of PBM and healthcare provider mega-mergers. These acquisitions have undergone intense review and the approvals suggest that government regulators are more comfortable with vertical integration as opposed to horizontal. Here is an overview of these mergers. CVS...

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