Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, RI -- More than two hours into the second day of a hearing about what a Medicaid overhaul might mean to Rhode Islanders, at least 25 people remained to testify before the House Finance Committee.

Almost that many had already testified, also, most of them in opposition to the plan.

The hearing is a continuation of one that began Friday and lasted six hours.

Most of those testifying today were advocates for Medicaid recipients, including the poor, the disabled and the elderly.

Governor Carcieri has said the proposal to overhaul Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor, would give the state more leeway in how it spends its Medicaid money, improve services for the state's most vulnerable populations and save millions of dollars.

The trouble, said many who have testified today, is that not enough details about the plan have been released for them to know what will change and how it will affect Medicaid recipients.

Amid the testimony, a theme has emerged. While the health care advocates for those who will be affected by a change in the Medicaid system know the system needs to change to stem the swelling cost of Medicaid, most who have spoken say they are concerned about the lack of specifics in the proposal and what the changes would mean in terms of the care provided for those in need.

"We find it troubling that the state has presented no implementation plan for your committee or the public to review or comment upon, nor do we have the confidence that the state has a realistic comprehension of the extent of the time and effort that will be required to build the infrastructure necessary to transition a population of patients sufficient to meet the ambitious financial goals set forth in the waiver," said Dr. K. Nicholas Tsiongas, president of the Rhode Island Medical Society.

"The devil is in the details," Dr. Elizabeth Lange, a pediatrician at Coastal Waterman Pediatrics in East Providence, told the finance committee.

-- Journal staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham

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