Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Congress May Order Major Medicaid Review  Psychiatric News story - "In response to President Bush's proposed budget cuts to Medicaid, legislation was introduced in Congress calling for the creation of a bipartisan commission to review the Medicaid program. APA is backing legislation in Congress that would establish a bipartisan Medicaid commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the nation's largest public health care program. Medicaid, which is funded through federal matching grants to states, in combination with state-provided funds, serves more than 50 million low-income individuals, including people with disabilities, according to the February 8 Congressional Record. ... There is considerable bipartisan support in Congress for the legislation. It was introduced by Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) in February, and by mid-March there were 97 cosponsors in the House and 26 cosponsors in the Senate."