Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE - The House and Senate Committees on Finance say they will meet next Tuesday to review the Carcieri administration's request to the federal government to cap spending on Rhode Island's health-care programs for the low-income, elderly and disabled at $12.4 billion over the next five years.

The 91-page waiver was released this past Tuesday to the General Assembly, as required by state law, 10 days before the first-of-its-kind application may be submitted to federal regulators.

The 1 p.m. hearing will be held in Room 35 of the State House, and will be televised live by Capitol TV (Channel 15 for Cox Communications and Full Channel subscribers, Channel 34 for Verizon subscribers).

The waiver is among the more contentious moves Governor Carcieri is pushing to help control state spending as Rhode Island trudges through its worst fiscal woes in nearly two decades. The General Assembly authorized the plan -- and a projected $67 million in savings this year alone -- in the state budget adopted last month.

The press release today on the hearing said an expedited review process has been promised to the state, with a decision to be made by Oct. 1.

Read the request for the "global Medicaid waiver" here.

 Tags  General Assembly global Medicaid waiver state budget

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