Supreme Court To Decide If California Can Reduce Medicaid

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court will decide whether to allow California to reduce its Medicaid payments to help close its massive budget gap.

The high court on Tuesday decided to hear an appeal from state officials.

Lower courts stopped California from enacting a 10 percent cut in the MediCal fee-for-service program payments to physicians, dentists, adult day care centers and other providers of Medicaid services in that state.

State officials say they need to make the cuts to help the state's budget crisis. But lower courts have agreed with opponents who say the state can't make those cuts and stay in compliance with the federal Medicaid law.

MORE...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_MEDICAID_PAYMENTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-01-18-11-52-52

[xchrom]

1. oy. nt

[Auggie]

2. This should be interesting...

the Medical lobby should be against these cuts while the GOP wants to reduce taxes/benefits. Who has more clout?

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. Coming to a GOP led state near you soon!

Cutting Medicaid is all the rage in GOP circles. Indiana's Governor Mitch Daniels has already done everything in his power to cut back on services to the poorest Hoosiers and he is not done yet. I will bet that this decision by the SC, if favorable, will lead to a wave of GOP governors cutting Medicaid in their states.

And, each of these governors will undoubtedly campaign as good Christians after taking out budget woes on the least able to endure it.

[Maine_Nurse]

7. Uhhh, it crosses party lines, trust me

With our last 8 years under Baldass (D) along with D legislature we had multiple, often severe(and very shortsighted) cuts. and are 3-5 years behind in paying for the Medicaid services already rendered. I can't stand the fat little twit we just elected, but I'll give him credit for almost immediately working towards repaying what it owed to hospitals and docs to slow down the nursing and affiliated health layoffs that have been happening for a few years now.

[bobbolink]

14. I will also bet there won't be a peep from "progressives"

A facebook page in minutes to support KO, but poor folk?

nada.

[WinkyDink]

4. Better they should require doctors to accept a certain % of Medicaid/Medicare patients.

I don't know any poor doctors; do you?

[Maine_Nurse]

9. Be careful what you wish for

You can't force people to work at a loss. They will just leave the state. That has happened here, as has the closing of hospitals or departments within hospitals. When 75% of your patients are treated at a loss (and you wait 4 years to be paid for that treatment) it just isn't worth it anymore, especially if you have a few hundred thou$and in student loan debt.

[Bandit]

5. Which Supreme Court is being discussed?

If it is the Federal Supreme Court I would say IMO there is no doubt how they will rule..Cut every socialist program.......If it is the California Supreme Court, I haven't a clue how they will rule but can only hope they have some compassion..

[KamaAina]

6. It's the Extreme Court.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. :scared:

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Dateline is Washington

and the question is about Federal Medicaid compliance.

Not looking good.

[TheWraith]

12. The SCOTUS isn't as bad as people imagine.

They've had their misses, but this is the same court that ruled in Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld, Lawrence vs. Texas, and a dozen other cases where they came down on the right side. Imagining that it's just a completely right-wing dominated court is untrue.

[valerief]

10. Heaven forbid they raise taxes on the wealthy! nt

[Orsino]

11. 5-4.

This is a prediction, not an update.

[mdmc]

13. ..