State, feds battle over review of HIP 2.0
As Indiana’s expansion of the federal Medicaid program enters its second year, the Pence administration is brawling with federal officials, who want to conduct an evaluation of it.
Medicaid
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Medicaid cuts spell trouble for home health firms
The state’s Family and Social Services Administration is set to cut home health care Medicaid reimbursements for licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, aides, therapists and pathologists.
Time to cheer on the struggling YMCA
The national not-for-profit organization, trying to fight back against high-end gyms and boutique studios, is now a national model for diabetes prevention.
House passes bill making Healthy Indiana plan permanent
The Indiana House has approved a bill that would codify into law Gov. Mike Pence's statewide expansion of Medicaid under President Barack Obama's signature health care overhaul.
Feds want to cut off funding for Carmel home health firm
Carmel-based Nightingale Home Healthcare Inc. is trying to keep from being kicked out of the federal Medicare program for allegedly putting patients in “immediate jeopardy,” according to documents in a bankruptcy reorganization case the company filed in December.
Teen births fall in Indiana, nation
Teen births have fallen to a record low in the United States and dropped sharply in Indiana too, a development that could save taxpayers millions of dollars in public health services and other assistance.
Cash crunch forces large home health agency into bankruptcy protection
Carmel-based Nightingale Home Healthcare Inc., which serves nearly 900 Hoosier patients, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and won court approval to borrow $350,000 from its parent company to make payroll.
Nursing homes work to ‘rebalance’ Medicaid spending without managed care
State government has long wanted to shift spending on long-term care from nursing homes to home- and community-based care. Now Gov. Mike Pence’s administration is working with nursing homes to make that happen.
All of a sudden, HIP 2.0 has a cloudy future
Gov. Mike Pence’s expanded version of the Healthy Indiana Plan looked secure after winning approval from the Obama administration in January. But now it faces threats from both liberals and conservatives.
Half of insurers on Indiana Obamacare market are losing money
UnitedHealthcare, MDwise, IU Health Plans and Assurant all disclosed losses during the first nine months of this year on the policies they are selling on the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act.
Looks like business growth is slowing down at Indiana hospitals
Profits and patient visits remain strong at Community Health Network and Indiana University Health, but their Obamacare-fueled growth is decelerating.
Covering the uninsured brings only a small benefit for the insured
Hospitals have long argued that they pass on the cost of the uninsured to private insurance customers. But a new study shows that’s less than half-true.
IU Health aims to extend insurance service to 1M Hoosiers
The Indianapolis-based hospital system said its efforts to reduce patients’ need for expensive health care services, known as population health, slashed the use of hospitals, nursing homes and expensive imaging scans among the 140,000 Hoosiers IU Health now serves.
Spiking drug prices punch holes in health insurers’ finances
Spending on prescription drugs has soared 451 percent this year at Indianapolis-based MDwise as new drugs for hepatitis C and cancer soar above $100,000 per patient.
Obamacare pumping more than $2B into Hoosier health insurers
A flood of money from Obamacare—for the expanded Healthy Indiana Plan and for private health insurance purchased on the federal exchange—is boosting revenue and profit among Indiana health insurers.
Obamacare, HIP 2.0 goosing hospital profits—for now
More paying customers helped Community Health Network pull in $47 million in second-quarter profits, a story being repeated at not-for-profit hospitals around the country as Obamacare has boosted the number of insured customers to unprecedented highs.
UPDATE: Why insurance mega-mergers won’t launch wave of hospital hook-ups
Profits at most county-owned hospitals have grown by 100 percent to 400 percent over the past four years via partnerships with nursing homes that have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in extra federal money.
After revenue rebounds, Hoosier hospitals start hiring again
Hospitals around Indiana have added 2,400 jobs since September as profits, patient visits and insurance coverage all improved.
Supreme Court’s Obamacare ruling is a win for Republicans—they just can’t see it
For at least 20 years, Republicans have been pushing for giving tax credits to help individuals buy health insurance. The Supreme Court’s latest Obamacare ruling does Republicans the favor of preserving them.
Buying Cigna would give 60 percent of Hoosier health insurance market to Anthem
If Anthem merged with Cigna Corp. it would create a behemoth with even greater negotiating power, which could benefit employers but hurt doctors and hospitals.