Financing
and Wesley Prater Natural disasters such as the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri and the flooding that affected residents of several states along the Mississippi river, serve as stark reminders of the important role the federal government plays in helping states respond to such events. Health care is one of the most pressing needs victims of […]
By Jocelyn Guyer Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) sent a letter to his colleague Senator Hatch (R-UT) last week outlining his grave concerns about Hatch’s recently introduced bill to repeal the stability protections (“or maintenance-of-effort requirement”) in Medicaid and CHIP. The letter — the latest in a series of Rockefeller efforts to protect health programs for low-income people […]
By Martha Heberlein As negotiations stalled on addressing the debt ceiling and ongoing budget deficits, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing today on the long-term sustainability of Medicare and Medicaid. While much of the focus was on Medicare, Medicaid also played a prominent role, especially around proposals to block grant the program. In response […]
In a letter to members of Congress outlining their guiding principles for how Medicaid should be changed in to order to address the challenges states are facing in sustaining their programs, Republican governors echoed earlier calls for block grants and more flexibility in how they run their programs along with repeal of the health care […]
By Martha Heberlein A recent study from the folks at the Urban Institute provides state-by-state enrollment projections under the House budget plan. I don’t think any regular Say Ahhh! readers will be surprised to learn that the news isn’t good. Under the plan, there will be a 44% reduction in federal Medicaid funds, including spending […]
Yesterday, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) announced that 41 senators would stand strong and support Medicaid during the ongoing budget deficit and debt ceiling negotiations. This is welcome news given the increased focus on Medicaid lately as the potential source of savings to rein in the deficit and cut a deal on the debt ceiling. All […]
