House Democrats' hopes to force another vote on expanding a popular children's health insurance program may be stymied by a new cost estimate for the legislation. Read more »
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a pilot program designed to enable Medicare beneficiaries to electronically manage their medical records and treatment plans. Read more »
The Bush administration's decision to take no action "at this time" to enforce a directive limiting states' ability to expand coverage of uninsured children drew tepid praise from critics, with two Democratic senators calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to go farther and stop blocking expansion efforts. Read more »
Community health centers provide significantly more preventive care to Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured than do other primary care facilities, which researchers said has saved the publicly funded health centers billions of dollars yearly, according to a new study by the George Washington University Medical Centers. Read more »
The free clinics, hospitals, and community health centers that provide care to people without insurance or other financial means are having to respond to a tougher health care marketplace by adopting the strategies of their more well-heeled competitors, in some cases curtailing free care as a result, according to a new study. Read more »
In what federal officials call their first test of paying doctors based on the quality and efficiency of their care, Medicare's "Physician Group Practice" demonstration reported gains in quality and in some cases lowered costs under the revised payment incentives. Read more »