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Federal Medicaid Expansion Under Fire

11/18/11 – Yesterday’s Washington Post ran an article that highlights an interesting twist on the upcoming Supreme Court’s review of the federal health care reform’s insurance mandate. Supreme Court justices have also decided to review the law’s provision to broaden Medicaid eligibility to approximately 17 million new individuals.

Business Council Report Says State Has the Tools to Grow the Biopharm Industry

11/17/11 – The NYS Business Council was joined by state elected officials and executives from locally-based life sciences companies in Buffalo yesterday to explain how growing the biopharmaceutical sector will have a big impact on New York’s economy.

Spread the Word – The Great American Smokeout Starts Today in New York!

11/17/11 – While we’re on the topic of chronic disease prevention, patient advocacy groups should remind their members about the Great American Smokeout, which starts today.

UnitedHealth Now Offering Diabetes Prevention Services to New York Medicaid Patients

11/17/11 – This is a great development for Medicaid recipients who are worried about chronic disease prevention — one of the largest insurers in New York is now offering diabetes prevention programs to Medicaid recipients for the first time.

NAMI Report Says State Cuts Will Hurt Mental Health Patients

11/10/11 – The Associated Press is reporting that a new study from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) concludes that state cuts to mental health services are having a serious impact on access to care. The practical effect on the day-to-day lives of low income persons living with mental illness is that these cuts are coming at a time of increased demand for services.

Update: Appeals Court Upholds Individual Mandate in Federal Health Care Reform Law

11/12/11 – Thanks again to Kaiser Health News for a synopsis of stories on the D.C. Court of Appeals decision to uphold the individual mandate (requiring most Americans to buy health insurance) in the federal health care reform law. More coverage after the jump.

Spreading the Word on PPA in Chinatown

11/3/11 – Last week, New York Health Works coordinated an event in Chinatown (Manhattan), where Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and City Council Member Margaret Chin met with senior citizens at the Project Open Door Senior Center to help educate them about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a program that helps some 6.5 million people across the country get the prescription medicines they need.

MRT Accepts Recommendations of 4 Work Groups

11/2/11 – A full meeting of the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) was held yesterday. The MRT accepted the final recommendations from four work groups: Program Streamlining and State/Local Responsibilities, Behavioral Health, Managed Long-Term Care Implementation and Waiver Design, and Health Disparities.

Medicare News Good for Consumers but Challenges Remain

10/29/11 – Several news outlets are reporting this morning that, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare premiums will rise at a less than expected rate for next year.

Meet NYHW Blog Contributor: Jaime Venditti

10/28/11 – We at New York Health Works thought it was time to introduce readers to our blog’s main contributor – Jaime Venditti. Jaime is the State Coordinator for New York Health Works.