Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Governor Adds Muscle to Curb Medicaid Fraud (New York) New York Times story - "Gov. George E. Pataki yesterday ordered a broad overhaul of the state agencies that protect Medicaid from fraud and abuse, creating an independent inspector general's office and bringing in a former federal prosecutor to help reorganize the policing of the program, which is New York State's largest expense. The inspector general is expected to take over some authority from the State Department of Health, which administers the overall $44.5 billion program but has fared poorly in detecting Medicaid fraud and waste compared with its counterparts in other states. The changes will be carried out by executive order, the governor said, and will not require the approval of the Legislature." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Governors Seek Escape Route From Medicaid Funding Crisis  Psychiatric News story - "Governors want more flexibility to decide who gets what in terms of Medicaid benefits and lower costs for prescription drugs. In testimony presented on Capitol Hill last month, the National Governors Association (NGA) offered a plan to reform the Medicaid program that seems to contain something to please and to offend nearly everyone. NGA Chair Mark Warner (D), governor of Virginia, and Vice Chair Mike Huckabee (R), governor of Arkansas, presented a bipartisan proposal that aims to restrain expenditures and provide governors more flexibility to administer the program. The NGA noted in written testimony that it is 'difficult to overstate the impact of Medicaid on state budgets.' On average, Medicaid accounts for about 22 percent of a state's budget and is the largest single item of expenditure."