Article Abstract:
The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA)'s future has come into question under the Republican-controlled Congress, but forecasts of its death are exaggerated. The scope of the HCFA's duties are likely to change significantly amid a decentralizing trend in the healthcare industry, but not die out entirely. The agency as well as the Medicaid and Medicare programs that it administers greatly expanded in the 1980s and now has its reach in almost all areas of healthcare. Many providers as well as politicians are fighting to cut back its influence.
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Article Abstract:
Several bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate to eliminate the position of Surgeon General. The move, which could save the government an estimated $1 million annually, is sponsored primarily by Republicans. The bills' proponents claim that the Surgeon General's authority, which has been diminishing since the late 1960s, could be effectively absorbed by the assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Article Abstract:
The Medicaid program in Washington, D.C., is approaching an overwhelming financial crisis that may be indicative of what could happen elsewhere. In a city with a population of almost 600,000, over 158,000, which amounts to approximately 26%, are under Medicaid coverage. The Medicaid budget for 1996 comes to $843 million, and is projected for 1997 to be $928 million if existing services are to be maintained.
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