Monday, April 11, 2005

Missouri House OKs slashing Medicaid  St. Louis Post-Dispatch story - "All the rallies at the Capitol, all the emotional pleas from people in wheelchairs, all the letters and e-mails the last three months made no difference. On Thursday, the Missouri House passed and sent to the governor a far-reaching bill that rolls back Medicaid, the government health care program for the poor. The vote was 89-69. The plan, combined with upcoming budget cuts, is expected to drop taxpayer-financed insurance coverage by this summer for about 100,000 parents, people with disabilities and elderly people..."  
  

Medicaid Accounting Tactic Is Criticized by Lawmakers Washington Post story - "This year, as they have done for many years past, California officials will use an accounting strategy that will yield nearly $2 billion more in federal Medicaid payments than the state might otherwise be entitled to. ... States have used this bit of creative accounting for more than a decade, with the knowledge and approval of the federal government. But this year, such tactics are at the heart of the biggest budget battle in Washington, one that has pitted the Bush administration against the nation's governors and the Senate against the House. The White House and its allies in Congress say the federal government could save as much as $20 billion over the next five years by clamping down on what they see as fraudulent or abusive budget gimmickry. They began pressing their case this week when the House and Senate budget chairmen met to work out a compromise budget resolution that singles out Medicaid for the largest reductions..." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]  
  

Mental-health safety nets endangered by privatization (California) North County Times story - "For more than 30 years, San Diego County has provided mental health services to those who cannot afford them. Over the last several years, the county has outsourced 60 percent of mental health services to private providers with the goal of offering 'more cost-efficient services.' The remaining 40 percent of county mental health services is in the last phase of 'managed competition,' through which county providers bid against private mental health care providers for county contracts, with the lowest bidder winning. Managed competition has illuminated many aspects of privately provided mental health services, the most disconcerting of which is the fact that San Diegans will lack several critical mental health safety nets if these services are turned over to private companies. To date, the removal of these safety nets is of the largest concern for the North County region, as the county of San Diego may be losing both of its North County clinics to an outside competitor."