Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Katherine Gregg
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - All four members of the state's Congressional delegation sent Governor Carcieri a letter Tuesday, warning that the proposed Medicaid overhaul that he is promoting "could pose serious risks to the Medicaid program, leading to unprecedented cuts'' to both patients and providers.

In their letter, U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. James Langevin and Patrick Kennedy reiterated many of the concerns that have been voiced during three days of State House hearings, namely: that the administration has not yet spelled out what it is going to do to the government-paid medical insurance program that covers 180,00-plus Rhode Islanders.

"Despite numerous public briefings ... a detailed plan and justification are still not public and accessible. Collectively and individually, we have made repeated requests for specific information, but we are still awaiting key details,'' they wrote.

"For example, the state has not provided data on the impact on beneficiaries, nor has it provided projections of state spending, savings, or the assumptions and methodologies on which such projections are based.''

But "from the information we have, one aspects of the waiver seems quite clear. The aggregate cap on spending could leave the state up to $842 million short of its projected obligations over five years. This is because the cap is based on national projections in the president's budget and does not factor in Rhode Island's specific circumstances - including a significant aging population and skyrocketing unemployment.''

They questioned whether the state has the capacity - and "administrative preparation and capability'' - to save money by limiting nursing home placements to those with the "highest need.''

Aside from this broad concern, they raised concerned about an "unprecedented approval process'' proposed for eligibility, benefits and cost-sharing, saying: "there are no protections to ensure that essential benefits are available to those for whom they are medically necessary, and the specific changes that the state will seek remain unknown.''
"In closing, they wrote, "the waiver raises more questions than it answers,'' they said.

State lawmakers are under a self-imposed deadline to decide by this weekend - and logistically, before their work week ends on Thursday - whether to reject, amend or allow the waiver to take effect without their action.

All four members of congress from Rhode Island are Democrats. The governor is a Republican.

Late today, they issued this joint statement: "We understand the financial pressures facing the state's leadership and we are working to ensure that the economic recovery package includes funding for Rhode Island's health care and infrastructure programs. Medicaid is a federal-state partnership that is a significant component of the state's budget, but more importantly, it is a program that provides essential services to almost two hundred thousand Rhode Islanders.
"The proposal negotiated by the Governor and the Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department leaves many questions unanswered, and as a result we have serious concerns regarding this proposal, which we have shared with the state's leadership."

 Tags  global waiver Governor Carcieri House of Representatives Jack Reed Medicaid Patrick Kennedy Senate Sheldon Whitehouse

Comments

Buzzy said:

My first question to all is, "What is the political party of the four congressional delegation members?" 'Liberal is as liberal does'.

Link | January 13, 2009 4:28 PM
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Mary Ellen said:

This is way to complex to decide in two days. It would be ridiculous for this to be approved with so many unanswered questions. It is quite scary to think what would become of medicaid in this state if this passes. The "more options" the governor talks about really means "more restrictions". The governor has no right to be messing around with a federally funded program for our most vulnerable.

Link | January 13, 2009 5:57 PM
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Joanne said:

200,000 RI citizens in need. Will you be one of them sooner than later? Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Reject the governor's proposal. Do the socially logical and ethically correct thing. Vote NO!

Link | January 13, 2009 8:59 PM
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Jann Campbell said:

What happened to the good old days when the people of Rhode Island were proud that we had the best Medicaid system in the whole country? Don Carcieri and his fanatic right wing friends have made a mockery of our values long enough. He should be removed from office.

Ultimately, we have to get real and admit that our whole health care system is broken beyond repair. The only answer is universal single payer health care. You can bet your life that no one in Canada is plotting to let low income people die from lack of health care in the name of free market capitalism.

Link | February 1, 2009 2:20 AM
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