Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Medicaid is known as the government health-care program for the poor, but it pays for more than two-thirds of long-term nursing-home stays. That means many middle-income Americans with savings will need the program. Ultimately, medicaid will cover nursing-home care for nearly everyone who needs it but can’t afford to pay on their own.

All Medicaid beneficiaries fit into one of several qualifying categories  of the program - 65 years of age or older, blind or disabled, for example. You must also submit financials that take into account both your income , assets as well as those of your spouse if you are married. The final category is  the people eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income from the Social Security Administration.

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. announced Monday May 5, 2008 that its National Government Services subsidiary was selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to administer the Medicare Administrative Contract for an area that includes New York and Connecticut.

Under the new contract, the WellPoint unit will perform key administrative functions for Medicare’s contracts with hospitals, skilled nursing complexes and physicians. They will manage all appeals, audit and reimbursement, claims processing, medical review and coverage determinations.

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Mercury News.com reported today that a coalition of health care groups have filed a lawsuit against the state of California to prevent 10 percent cuts to Medi-Cal and Denti-Cal payments scheduled to begin July 1, 2008. There are more than 6 million low-income Californians that use Medi-Cal for health care services. The class-action lawsuit has been filed in The Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of California health care providers. The complaint includes the California Medical Association, the California Hospital Association and the California Dental Association.