Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Uninsured and vulnerable Broken system leaves many on the margins of health care (Massachusetts)
The first of a five part series last week in the Springfield Republican on trends in health insurance, Medicaid and reform efforts. See also Safety Net Struggles to Catch the Poor, Increase in Uninsured Fuels Emergency Crisis, Retiree Benefits Wither in Bad Economic Times, and Can a Cure be Found?  
  

Report Criticizes Federal Oversight of State Medicaid
New York Times story - "The Bush administration has allowed states to make vast changes in Medicaid but has not held them accountable for the quality of care they provide to poor elderly and disabled people, Congressional investigators said today. The administration often boasts that it has approved record numbers of Medicaid waivers, which exempt states from some federal regulations and give them broad discretion to decide who gets what services. But the investigators, from the General Accounting Office, said the secretary of health and human services, Tommy G. Thompson, had "not fully complied with the statutory and regulatory requirements" to monitor the quality of care under such waivers." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].