Tag Archives: Medicaid

GAO Insights into the Nation’s Finances and the Role of the Debt Limit

Posted on May 3, 2017 by WatchBlog

Today, U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro delivered testimony to Congress on our nation’s unsustainable long-term fiscal position. He said that the Congress and administration face serious economic, security, and social challenges that will require difficult policy choices in the short … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on May 3, 2017 by WatchBlog | Tagged budget, CG, Chris Mihm, debt, Debt limit, deficit, deficit reduction, entitlement spending, entitlements, federal budget, federal budgeting, federal deficit, finances, Gene Dodaro, government spending, Medicaid, medicare, revenue, SI, Social Security, Sue Irving

Data Challenges Contribute to Billions in Medicaid Improper Payments (podcast)

Posted on March 2, 2017 by WatchBlog

Federal Medicaid administrators rely on state-reported data to help with oversight activities, such as determining whether the program is paying eligible providers for covered services. Given that Medicaid made an estimated $36 billion in payment errors in 2016, many question … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on March 2, 2017 by WatchBlog | Tagged Carolyn Yocom, fraud waste abuse, health care, improper payments, Medicaid, oversight, program errors, program integrity

Achieving Financial Benefits—One Action at a Time

Posted on November 22, 2016 by WatchBlog

Since 2011, we’ve outlined actions federal agencies and Congress can take to reduce fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in federal programs and activities—work that resulted in $56 billion in financial benefits to the federal government between fiscal years 2010 and 2015 … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on November 22, 2016 by WatchBlog | Tagged action tracker, CMS, duplication, fragmentation, IRS, Medicaid, medicare, overlap, Treasury Department, whistleblower

All About Medicaid

Posted on July 14, 2016 by WatchBlog

We’ve talked a lot about Medicare on this blog but Medicaid, a federal-state health care program, is also on our radar. In fact, it’s one of our High Risk issues. Today’s WatchBlog looks at the size and complexity of Medicaid, … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on July 14, 2016 by WatchBlog | Tagged beneficiaries, Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, cost, enrollment, expense, HC, Medicaid, oversight, size, states, transparency

Health Care Fraud Schemes (podcast)

Posted on February 24, 2016 by WatchBlog

How do you find—and stop—fraudsters among Medicare and Medicaid’s 100 million beneficiaries, countless providers, and more than $1 trillion in annual spending? It helps to know what you’re looking for. Listen to Kathleen King, a director in our Health Care … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on February 24, 2016 by WatchBlog | Tagged case files, convictions, court documents, crime, file review, HC, HCFAC, Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program, Medicaid, medicare, smart cards | 2 Comments

Making the Difficult Decisions about End-of-Life Care

Posted on December 8, 2015 by WatchBlog

Planning for your future isn’t just about saving for retirement. Thinking ahead about end-of-life care, uncomfortable as it may be, can help avoid difficult situations later—for both you and your loved ones. For example, if you’re incapacitated, do you want all … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on December 8, 2015 by WatchBlog | Tagged demographics of living wills, end of life care, end of life decisions, estate planning, HC, hospice care, living will, living wills, Medicaid, medicare, planning for dying, retirement planning

Our Prescriptions for Prescription Drug Abuse

Posted on September 3, 2015 by WatchBlog

Prescription drugs are generally safe when taken as directed, but they can also be abused. Moreover, some people try to use their insurance to pay for prescriptions they shouldn’t be getting. Read on for our look at how two federal … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on September 3, 2015 by WatchBlog | Tagged Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, DEA, Drug Enforcement Agency, FAIS, fraud, HC, HSJ, Medicaid, Oxy, prescription drug abuse, prescription drugs, Vicodin

National Immunization Awareness Month

Posted on August 25, 2015 by WatchBlog

Let’s face it: no one likes getting shots. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccinations help protect everyone from infants to elderly people against all sorts of dangerous and potentially lethal diseases. Each August the CDC … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on August 25, 2015 by WatchBlog | Tagged CDC, CDC vaccine recommendations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CHIP vaccine coverage, HC, Katherine Iritani, Medicaid, medicare, Medicare vaccine coverage, National Immunization Awareness Month, NIAM, recommended vaccines, shingles vaccine shortage, shingles vax, vaccines for kids, vax for adults, vax for kids

Checking Up on Medicare and Medicaid at 50

Posted on July 30, 2015 by WatchBlog

Today Medicare and Medicaid turn 50. These landmark programs are the largest sources of health care coverage for millions of older, low-income, and medically needy Americans. Medicare helps provide health care coverage for 54 million aged and disabled individuals, and … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on July 30, 2015 by WatchBlog | Tagged 50th anniversary of medicaid, 50th anniversary of medicare, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS, HC, july 30 1965, Lyndon Johnson, Medicaid, medicaid at 50, medicare, medicare at 50, OTD, TBT | 2 Comments

Exploring 19 States’ Medicaid Managed Care Data

Posted on July 16, 2015 by WatchBlog

As Medicaid spending and enrollment have grown in recent years, states have increasingly turned to managed care as a way to try to save money and improve delivery of medical services. Yet little is known about the number or types … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on July 16, 2015 by WatchBlog | Tagged Carolyn Yocom, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS, HC, managed care, Medicaid, Medicaid data, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid services, Medicaid spending