The available data indicated variation in application denial rates, and there are several issues to consider in interpreting those rates. Nationwide data collected by HHS from insurers showed that the aggregate application denial rate for the first quarter of 2010 was 19 percent, but that denial rates varied significantly across insurers. For example, just over a quarter of insurers had applicati

Federal agencies have an opportunity to enhance collaboration by addressing long-standing problems and better positioning the U.S. government to respond to changing conditions and future uncertainties. Progress has been made in enhancing interagency collaboration, but success will require leadership commitment, sound plans that set clear priorities, and measurable goals. The agencies involved in

In four states selected on the basis of their large supplemental payments, state-reported DSH payments varied widely as a percentage of the hospital-specific DSH payment limits that the states calculated. DSH payments to 682 hospitals in California, Michigan, New York, and Texas ranged from less than 1 percent to more than 169 percent of DSH payment limits. GAO identified a small number of hospit

Most states have requirements or guidance to facilitate voting for long-term care facility residents, and some states also provide training and conduct oversight of localities' adherence to state requirements or guidance. States reported that they most commonly provided requirements or guidance for accommodations for absentee voting for residents of long-term care facilities, followed by accommod

This is an E-supplement to GAO-10-70. This document presents the responses from two Web-based questionnaires on the process for identifying and citing nursing home deficiencies. We collected this information to study and report on the factors that contribute to the understatement of serious deficiencies on nursing home surveys. We developed two Web-based questionnaires--one for the nursing home s

Nationally representative data suggest that a large proportion of children and adults in Medicaid have certain health conditions, particularly obesity, that can be identified or managed by preventive services, and adults' receipt of preventive services varies widely. For Medicaid children, NHANES data from 1999 through 2006 suggest that 18 percent of children aged 2 through 20 were obese, 4 perce

Insular areas' Medicaid and CHIP income eligibility criteria vary, and contribute to wide variation in the estimated percent of the population covered by Medicaid in each of the insular areas. For example, two of the areas base their income eligibility criteria on the FPL, while two other areas base their income eligibility criteria on locally established income limits. In 2008, the estimated per

The number of sponsored noncitizens potentially affected by sponsor deeming is unknown; however, federal restrictions on their eligibility for TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, and SSI, as well as other factors, likely limit the number affected. The most recent data available suggest that 11 percent (473,000) of sponsored noncitizens applied for TANF, Medicaid, or SNAP during the course of 2007, and less tha

Methadone is regulated as a controlled substance, under federal and state laws and regulations, when used for pain management and addiction treatment. When methadone is used for pain management, it is regulated under federal and state laws and regulations that apply to controlled substances generally and that do not impose requirements unique to methadone. For addiction treatment, however, federa

In 2005, GAO found that the Bay Program had over 100 measures to assess progress toward meeting some restoration commitments and guide program management. However, the program had not developed an integrated approach that would translate these individual measures into an assessment of progress toward achieving the restoration goals outlined in Chesapeake 2000. For example, while the program had a