FSSA seeks return of $200M in improper payments to attendant care providers
An audit found improper payments and compliance failures at five attendant care providers.
Government Health Care
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Museum seeks recollections of Central State Mental Hospital
Memories of patients, staff members and neighbors of Central State Mental Hospital are being compiled for a digital archive.
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UPDATE: Elevance shares wobble on Trump administration plans, lower projections
In a call with shareholders Wednesday, Elevance CEO Gail Boudreaux said the Trump administration’s plan to limit federal payments to Medicare Advantage “doesn’t keep pace with the current medical cost and utilization trends.”
Federal employee health care premiums to rise 8.7% on average
That change in Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premiums is significantly larger than last year’s rise and marks the biggest increase in more than a decade, the government announced Friday.
Nurse accuses Indy psych hospital of keeping patients longer than needed
In a whistleblower suit, the nurse said Neuropsychiatric Hospital of Indianapolis ordered the staff keep patients for at least 14 days to get more reimbursement from Medicare. The hospital’s owner vehemently disputes the allegation.
Pelosi sets Medicare showdown on drug costs, new benefits
As a hammer to force companies to negotiate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would impose steep sales taxes on the medications at issue. Overall, budget analysts estimated the legislation would cut industry revenues by $500 billion to $1 trillion over 10 years.
Overhaul proposed for decades-old Medicare fraud rules
The regulations are now seen as an obstacle to progress because Medicare has put a premium on coordination among care providers. The complex requirements of the original rules can have a chilling effect on hospitals and doctors working together, officials say.
Veterans’ suicide issue a priority for Trump administration, VA secretary says
Robert Wilkie, secretary of veterans affairs, told the American Legion National Convention in Indianapolis on Wednesday that the issue needs urgent attention.
Drug cost bill advances but GOP resistance could spell trouble
A prescription drug compromise that would lower costs for Medicare recipients and save billions for Medicare and Medicaid cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Thursday.
Senators unveil compromise to reduce drug costs for seniors
Iowa Republican Charles Grassley and Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden said the bill would for the first time limit drug copays for people with Medicare’s “Part D” prescription plan, by capping patients’ out-of-pocket costs.
House Democrats, GOP unite to repeal Obamacare ‘Cadillac’ tax
House Democrats and Republicans joined in a rare show of unity Wednesday, voting overwhelmingly to repeal an unpopular tax on generous health insurance that’s a symbol of former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.
Indiana creates Medicaid work rules for low-income Hoosiers
Indiana has become the latest state to implement work requirements for low-income residents who receive their health insurance through Medicaid— a change that opponents warn will cost some under-resourced Hoosiers their health coverage.
State wants to offer $1,000 ‘bridge’ for low-income Hoosiers leaving Medicaid
The Indiana Family & Social Services Administration says the plan is designed to help bridge the transition from the Healthy Indiana Plan to private health insurance, and help pay for premiums, deductibles, co-pays and other costs.
Single-payer health care would be ‘major undertaking,’ CBO says
Adopting universal health coverage “would significantly increase government spending and require substantial additional government resources,” the office said.
Medicare chief Verma uses forecast as warning for expand-it-to-all plans
The Trump administration’s top Medicare official used an annual report on the program’s fiscal outlook to attack proposals by some Democrats to expand government health-care coverage to all Americans.
Feds charge two dozen in billion-dollar Medicare brace scam
Federal agents on Tuesday broke up a billion-dollar Medicare scam that peddled unneeded orthopedic braces to hundreds of thousands of seniors.
Ruling creates uncertainty for states’ Medicaid work rules
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson urged the federal government to appeal a ruling against his state’s requirement that certain people covered by its Medicaid expansion work or lose their coverage. States with similar rules, like Indiana, are closely watching the case.
Marian University interested in taking over state mental hospital site
The private university has started conversations with the state for assuming control of the site that holds Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, which will close later this year.
Poll: Support for ‘Medicare-for-all’ fluctuates wildly with details
“Medicare-for-all” makes a good first impression, but support plunges when people are asked if they’d pay higher taxes or put up with treatment delays to get it.
Nursing homes start facing pinch of penalties for hospital readmissions
The penalties will be as much as 2 percent of Medicare reimbursements, and could be worth millions of dollars to large nursing-home chains with locations spread across Indiana and the nation.
Obamacare markets stabilize, but premiums remain high for many
On average, the premium for typical plans in the 39 states that use the federal healthcare.gov website will drop 1.5 percent.