Tenn.'s Retreat On Medicaid Points toStruggle-Cuts May Signal Nat'l Trend

[papau]

As medicaid goes down the tubes - in Tennessee 323,000 of the working poor have been cut— Bush spends us into a huge National Debt and fights to cut Soc Security. Indeed Tennessee still "cares" as its medicaid will be covering a higher portion of the working poor than nationally, and its budget as a percent of the State budget remains large, but Tenn thought they should include immunizations and AIDS care, and did not spend much on other public health investments, such as community clinics and health departments - and it looks like money for these may never be coming from a GOP led Federal Government.

But the Bush family is not done - Florida's Gov. Jeb Bush has proposed giving Medicaid clients vouchers for private health coverage, making Florida the first state to let insurers set benefits for poor clients.

And this week, New York Gov. George E. Pataki (R) is scheduled to slash $1 billion from his state's Medicaid program.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16471-2005Jan17.html

Tenn.'s Retreat On Medicaid Points to Struggle
Planned Cuts May Signal National Trend
By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 18, 2005; Page A03


NASHVILLE -- They staged a die-in here Wednesday night -- to mourn the demise of one of the nation's most innovative health insurance programs for the working poor and to dramatize what advocates say will be the human toll of a bitter government decision.

On Jan. 10, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat elected in 2002 on a promise to rescue TennCare, announced he is cutting 323,000 low-income adults from the program and limiting services for 400,000 others. Like many other governors, Bredesen said that Tennessee's expanded Medicaid program is devouring the state budget and that he cannot afford what had been hailed as one of the most generous government health plans in the nation.

"It might not be the level of care we want to provide, but it's the level of care we can afford without bankrupting our state," said Bredesen, a former mayor who made millions as a managed-care executive.

The announcement sent shivers through health care advocates nationwide who see in TennCare's retreat the start of a bleak trend to scale back government-paid care at the same time the private sector is trimming benefits. A day later, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) proposed giving Medicaid clients vouchers for private health coverage, making Florida the first state to let insurers set benefits for poor clients. And this week, New York Gov. George E. Pataki (R) is scheduled to slash $1 billion from his state's Medicaid program.

As President Bush attempts to cut the federal deficit in half within five years, governors are girding for battle. Though eager to restructure Medicaid, the joint state-federal health program for low-income Americans, the National Governors Association warned last month it would oppose "any deficit reduction strategy to simply shift federal costs to the states."
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[RobertSeattle]

1. GOP Health Care Policy: "Don't Get Sick"

Corollary: If you do get sick, be rich.

[oneighty]

2. A trend that just might

bite the health care people in the pocketbook.

Will the time come when a Doctor will have to accept whatever payment his patient can offer? Will Doctors be standing on street corners holding signs "Will Doctor for Food"?

It could come to that.

IMHO

180

[papau]

3. :-) - - I suspect we get National Health before then - I hope we do!

:-)

[oneighty]

4. One can hope

I would not like seeing hungry Doctors making house calls for food.

But then?

180

[Sgent]

5. Considering that

Medicaid reimburses less than the cost of care in most states (not including the doctor's salary), I don't see this being an issue re/Medicaid.

[DrGonzoLives]

6. It sucks, but

that's what happens when Bush cuts funding. The states are already in pain, financially - so they have to do things like this. This is an issue to bring up come election time. Focus on how Bush's national policies hurt locally, like this one does.

And someone should make sure that each and everyone of the 323,000 people cut (I know they're all adults) is registered to vote and in line on election day. And remind them of the real reason they lost their coverage.

[MrSandman]

7. By then, the doctors may all be gone...

MA cuts have reulted in severe restrictions of services in West Virginia. Find an optician to accept Medicaid? good luck. Dentist? good luck. Mental Health ? Good Luck.

[Sgent]

8. Doctor's get picked on

but they make less today than they did 30 years ago in real dollars. To make that, they have more liability, more training, and more responsibility coupled with less authority, less respect, and a bigger pain in the ass.

Physician salary/income makes up less than 4% of health care expenditures, pick something else to rail on.

[jwirr]

9. If we consider that Medicaid and Medicare

make up the only health coverage for a great many people then anyone with a brain (which of course leaves bushie out) will realize that even though doctors do not get paid their full fees from these programs it is better than doing charity work like their forerunners did. Or are the doctors just going to stand by and watch people dying in the streets?