advertisement

SSN on Facebook SSN on Twitter SSN on YouTube RSS Feed

11 Comments
Politics

Feds OK Florida Plan to Save $100 Million on Medicaid

December 3, 2018 - 12:00pm

Despite fears that the move could cut access to health care for poor residents, Florida has won approval from the federal government for a change that will let the state reduce how much it spends on Medicaid.

The change in how the state administers the safety-net program was approved by federal officials Friday and took effect over the weekend.  It allows the state to trim money it spends on people when they initially become eligible for Medicaid.

Seema Verma, administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said in a letter giving approval that the change will remain in effect until June 30 unless state lawmakers agree to extend it.

The federal agency, commonly known as CMS, said it expects Florida to use the change to see whether it can stop people from jumping off and on Medicaid and instead receive continuous care.

“As part of this demonstration, Florida will test whether this policy encourages Medicaid beneficiaries to obtain and maintain health coverage, even when healthy, or to obtain health coverage as soon as possible after becoming eligible,” the letter said.

Federal law directs state Medicaid programs to provide 90-day retroactive coverage to give people time to apply for coverage following traumatic incidents or diagnoses of illnesses. That way, people have time to gather information needed to apply, including such things as proof of age, citizenship, sources of income and assets.

The new policy allows the state to only pick up 30 days of existing health care bills for people who become eligible for Medicaid. The shortened retroactivity period, however, would not apply to children or pregnant women. Medicaid officials earlier this year estimated it would impact about 39,000 people

The Medicaid change was estimated to save Florida nearly $100 million when it was first proposed to federal officials. Some Democratic legislators and others criticized the move. CMS acknowledged that most of the feedback it received about the policy was negative and that critics warned it would hurt poor, disabled and elderly people.

But federal officials said that’s why they were ordering the state to educate the public and health-care providers about the change and to put the outreach strategy on the state’s Medicaid website.

“This will help ensure that eligible individuals apply for and receive Medicaid coverage in a timely manner, as well as ensure that providers understand how to assist individuals in gaining coverage,’’ the letter said.

Federal officials also said the state would be required to provide coverage as of the first day of the month someone applies for Medicaid. CMS said that should mitigate some of the concerns.

Florida is also being ordered to do an independent evaluation of the change to see whether it will prompt Medicaid beneficiaries to enroll for coverage sooner.

The CMS letter Friday also included approval of other changes, including allowing community mental-health providers to participate in a supplemental Medicaid funding program known as the Low Income Pool. The change could result in a funding increase for community facilities that treat patients for mental-health and substance-abuse disorders, including opioid addictions.

Melanie Brown-Woofter, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Council for Community Mental Health, said the funding will help "ensure that individuals experiencing behavioral health crisis have access to critical resources in their communities. "

Florida also won permission to offer a news statewide Medicaid managed dental plan and to make other adjustments to the Low Income Pool.

Medicaid officials this summer inked contracts with three managed dental-care providers. The new contracts roll out in Southeast Florida this month.

Low Income Pool dollars are supplemental Medicaid funds made available by the federal government but funded by hospital taxing districts and other county entities.

The Low Income Pool changes including making additional funds available to regional perinatal care centers, which provide obstetrical services to women who have a high-risk pregnancies.

Comments

Our republic is dying. Getting permission from the federal government about something that is not authorized by the Constitution of the United States of America? It should be eliminated.

This is how socialized medicine saves money through managed care. The problem is. The Medicare rate, private insurance rate, and walk in rate are all different. It is a system designed to be inefficient and rife with fraud. As long as medicine in the US continues to be about money, we will continue to slide in quality and efficiency worldwide (currently 37th).

As long as Government keeps sticking it's fingers in healthcare/insurance the system will be screwed up. Whether you like it or not health care is a business. It will always be so.

It is that flawed thinking that has us in the mess we are in. Tell that to the 10 industrial democracies who have gov't run health care that are the top 10 in healthcare quality and efficiency in the world according to the WHO and others... The US? 37th... Where would your facts be to support your argument?....crickets...

What’s flawed is the thought that that report from WHO is a legitimate assessment of anything. It openly states in its preamble that the purpose of the report is to PROMOTE “universal” healthcare. They then go on and award points to countries for merely having socialized medicine. Take away that biased scoring and the U.S. is right there towards the top. Healthcare like it or not, undeniably is a service. It requires the skill, expertise, and resources of others to deliver. Governments can not provide anything to anyone that it doesn’t first, in some way take away from another. In the history of mankind, no government has ever done that more efficiently than a free, open, and transparent market. The problem is that we’ve gotten away from that.

WE NEED A COMPLETE AND TOTAL OVERHAULING OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. THAT MEANS DIGGING BELOW THE ROOTS AND INTO THE DEPTHS BELOW THE ROOTS. IT ALSO STARTS WITH THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, AND THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEBT THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS GRADUATE WITH, PLUS IT STARTS WITH THE ELIMINATION OF EVIL AND CORRUPTION OF FALSE DIAGNOSIS AND DOUBLE BILLING. WE MUST REALIZE AND COMPREHEND THAT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE DOES NOT WORK, AND NEITHER DOES A GREEDY CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM, THEY BOTH HAVE DIFFERENT ROADS LEADING TO THE INTERSECTION OF DEATH. ONE EXCELLENT CASE IS TO LET A PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES, AND DO NOT PUNISH ANYONE THAT ACHIEVES A HIGHER INCOME BRACKET. ALSO, INSTEAD OF PHYSICIANS CONSTANTLY WORRYING ABOUT RENT AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, HOW ABOUT STARTING ANOTHER REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND IT SHALL BE EXCLUSIVELY MEDICAL REAL ESTATE THAT WOULD INCLUDE EVERY KNOWN FORM OF CARE THAT WOULD INCLUDE A PERSON'S CHOICE OF CARE, CONVENTIONAL, INTERGRATED, HOLISTIC, ALTERNATIVE, ETC...TAKE FOR EXAMPLE HERE COMES A DENTIST TO ESTABLISH A PRACTICE, HE NEEDS AN OFFICE AND EQUIPMENT, ETC...WELL HE GOOD PURCHASE HIS OR HER OWN DENTAL CONDO. THIS CONDO WOULD INCLUDE EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE THAT A DENTIST NEEDS, INCLUDING LUNCH ROOMS FOR EMPLOYEES, WAITING ROOMS FOR PATIENTS, AND EVERYTHING A DENTIST NEEDS. HE OR SHE WOULD PAY A MORTGAGE INSTEAD OF PAYING RENT, AND THE CONDO WOULD BELONG TO THE DENTIST. SHOULD THE DENTIST WANT TO RETIRE, THEN HE OR SHE COULD SELL THE CONDO TO ANOTHER DENTIST, AND PERHAPS ANOTHER DENTIST THAT IS STARTING OUT, AND HE OR SHE COULD HAVE ADDED INCOME AFTER RETIREMENT. VARIOUS PRACTICES OF ALL KINDS COULD ESTABLISH THEMSELVES ON DIFFERENT FLOORS, ONLY THE ENTIRE BUILDING ITSELF WOULD BE STRICTLY MEDICAL REAL ESTATE. ONE FLOOR WE HAVE A UROLOGIST AND ON ANOTHER FLOOR WOULD BE A INTERNIST. THE BUILDING COULD EVEN INCLUDE AN AUDITORIUM AND CLUB HOUSE FOR CONFERENCES THAT NEED TO BE SCHEDULED. THERE COULD BE AN OFFICE THAT WOULD ASSIST HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN ORDERING COMPETITIVE SUPPLIES. MOST IMPORTANT WE DO NOT NEED FORCED CARE, A PATIENT SHOULD BE PERMITTED TO CHOOSE THE FORM OF CARE THAT HE OR SHE FEELS BENEFICIAL TO THEM. LET DOCTORS PAY MEDICAL, DENTAL, ETC...MORTGAGES WITHOUT GOING UP ON RENT, AND START THEM OUT FIRST RATE. LET US SAY A DOCTOR WANTS TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COMMUNITY OR STATE, THEN HIS OR HER CONDO, WOULD GO ONTO A MEDICAL LISTING REAL ESTATE, AND A MEDICAL REAL ESTATE AGENT WOULD HANDLE THE NEEDS OF THAT DOCTOR, OR HE OR SHE COULD GO SALE BY OWNER IN WHICH EVER CASE IS APPROPRIATE. DOCTORS THEN WOULD ADVERTISE THEIR REAL ESTATE AMONG EACH OTHER. THIS WOULD ALSO SET A NEW SECTOR FOR THE ECONOMY. ALSO, GIVE TAX BREAKS TO DOCTORS WHO DOCUMENT WELL, HOW THEY ARE TAKING CARE OF SOMEONE WOULD COULD NOT AFFORD MEDICAL CARE. USE ONLY MEDICAID AS A SAFETY NET, AND RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF CHILDREN IN ANY GIVEN HOUSEHOLD. FOR INSTANCE, IF A COUPLE HAS FOUR CHILDREN WHILE APPLYING COVER THOSE FOUR CHILDREN, BUT DO NOT ENCOURAGE THEM TO EXPAND THEIR FAMILY. SLIDING SCALES MAY ALSO BE CONSIDERED IN MANY CASES. ONE THING SOCIALIZED MEDICINE AND CAPITALISM NEITHER ONE COVER, IS WHEN A PERSON IS CRITICALLY ILL IN THE HOSPITAL, HE OR SHE IS WORRIED ABOUT NOT HAVING THEIR RENT PAID OR HAVING A HOME ONCE THEY LEAVE THE HOSPITAL. WE NEED SOME KIND OF PROVISION UNDER STRICT JURISDICTION OF AUTHENTICATION THAT AN INDIVIDUAL IS IN THIS GRAVE CASE AND DOES NEED ASSISTANCE. SOME PEOPLE EVEN LOOSE THEIR JOBS WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL THROUGH THEIR EMPLOYERS, THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS WELL. IN THESE CASES INSURANCE COMPANIES WOULD EXPAND THEIR HORIZONS AND BECOME COMPETITIVE. WE ALSO NEED SOME LAWS TO PROTECT EMPLOYEES AS PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS TO GET WELL, AND NOT LOOSE THEIR JOBS. TEMPORARY STAFFING COULD EXPAND THE NEED OF THIS, TEMPORARY STAFFING COULD BE OF USE TO EMPLOYERS, UNTIL THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE ABLE TO COME ONCE AGAIN ON BOARD. THOSE THAT ARE WORKING TEMPORARY JOBS, WOULD ALSO EXPAND THEIR SKILLS AND MAY FIND THAT THEY HAVE OTHER TALENTS. YES, WE NEED TO GET BENEATH THE ROOTS OF THE PROBLEMS AND NOT JUST AT THE ROOTS!

Or, put another way, those who actually pay the bills having a say in how they are paid.

Just more of the Republican fatcats squeezing the regular folks. Like the lords of the manor sticking it to the serfs.

This is just one example, the CEO of the drug company that jacked the price of the epi pen. She's a democratic socialist like you! She did it so she could get a raise!

if you can't get real facts, just make them up. The fact that you call a CEO who earns 19 million a year, raised prices and her own pay, a democratic socialist, shows your collective intellect. Even if her Dad is Joe Manchin, he is also the most conservative of Dems, usually votes with Repubs, the antithesis of a democratic socialist dufus...

Blue your a MORON!!!!. So, there are no demoncrats or liberals that are fat cats??? I think that is pure greed when you are a liberal and you are worth millions or billions. Why not spend all your millions and keep a hundred grand for your self. No!!! Can't do that, instead tax and regulate the regular folk you so much try to defend. Please, I don't need your help. I get up in the morning and go to work. I don't stay in mommies basement all day and play video games and do yoga and give all praise to the blue OR red demagogues.

Comments are now closed.

politics
advertisement
advertisement
Live streaming of WBOB Talk Radio, a Sunshine State News Radio Partner.

advertisement