"Health & Medical News"

Washington — Medicare’s first run at incorporating chronic care management techniques into the program is closing at the end of this year, with most observers already describing the effort as a false start.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the Medicare Health Support pilot project three years ago with high hopes. By hiring eight private disease management firms to set up voluntary chronic care improvement programs for beneficiaries, CMS aimed to improve health care quality while lowering costs. At one point more than 150,000 seniors were enrolled in the programs.

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Imagine being allowed to practice medicine but not being allowed to drive. That’s what some Michigan physicians are facing.

Under a new state law that took effect Jan. 22, doctors in Michigan on a visa cannot get a new driver’s license. That’s because a law intended to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver’s license also prevents legal residents on student or work visas, including physicians, from getting a license.

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The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a revised version of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill, but the measure once again fell short of the votes needed to override an expected presidential veto.

CNN reported Oct. 25 that the SCHIP bill passed 265-142, still short of the 290 votes needed for a veto override. The measure included some concessions to Republican concerns about the bill, including tighter income-based caps on eligibility. But it still retained the original bill’s $35-billion price tag and a funding mechanism based on a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tobacco tax.

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The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote today on a revised children’s health bill that addresses some of President Bush’s concerns about eligibility, the Associated Press reported Oct. 25.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill, previously vetoed by Bush, still calls for a $35-billion expansion funded by a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tobacco tax. It also calls for parity coverage of addiction and mental health problems. But the revised measure would now exclude families earning more than three times the federal poverty level, and phase out eligibility for low-income childless adults.

Popularity: unranked [?]