...The Republican budget proposal, (click here) introduced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, would subject Medicaid to some of the largest cuts in the history of the program. This proposal would cut federal Medicaid funding significantly—not by reducing underlying health care costs, but simply by shifting those costs to already overburdened state governments. It would do this by converting the program to a block grant that would provide considerably less federal funding with each passing year. The Republican budget proposal would cut federal funding to the states by 5 percent in 2013. In 2014, the cut would be 15 percent. Over the coming years, these funding cuts would get larger and larger, until, at the end of the 10-year period, the cut in federal funds would approximate 33 percent. (Other budget proposals under consideration don’t specify the size of their Medicaid cuts. However, they do include global caps or other limits that would trigger automatic spending cuts, which could easily result in similar cuts to Medicaid.)...
Do not take the insult to any state on the chin by Republicans who can't do math. The states receiving the expansion did not bargain for trouble. Those states have to file suits against the federal government. Just because the Republicans want to use Medicaid monies (which were budgeted with additional taxes in the ACA) for other reasons to APPEAR to be cutting the national deficit is no reason to stand by and tolerate such breaches in contract law. Just that simple. The state Attorney Generals should not wait. If the contract with the federal government is in breech during the first quarter there should be lawsuits filed already.
August 22, 2014
...The federal government (click here) has refused to reimburse the state for its expanded Medicaid coverage this year and despite efforts to come to an agreement, the deferrals may continue into September.
The feds have been holding out on the state over a technical dispute regarding eligibility. Because of the disagreement, the state was not reimbursed for $249.2 million for the first quarter. The second quarter deadline is approaching next month, but Budget Secretary Ben Barnes said it’s not clear whether that payment is coming.
“If this is not worked out we’re going to have to substantially pay,” Barnes said Friday.
At the very least, Barnes said he believes Connecticut should be receiving 50 percent reimbursement until they can negotiate for the rest to cover the cost of the care already delivered for this population of low-income adults.
“This could put Connecticut into another cash crunch,” Republican state Rep. Vincent Candelora of North Branford said Friday.
Candelora said he hopes this issue is resolved quickly because if it isn’t, then the state is going to have to take $249.2 million “that we can’t afford to be without” out of the state’s checkbook...
Do not take the insult to any state on the chin by Republicans who can't do math. The states receiving the expansion did not bargain for trouble. Those states have to file suits against the federal government. Just because the Republicans want to use Medicaid monies (which were budgeted with additional taxes in the ACA) for other reasons to APPEAR to be cutting the national deficit is no reason to stand by and tolerate such breaches in contract law. Just that simple. The state Attorney Generals should not wait. If the contract with the federal government is in breech during the first quarter there should be lawsuits filed already.
August 22, 2014
...The federal government (click here) has refused to reimburse the state for its expanded Medicaid coverage this year and despite efforts to come to an agreement, the deferrals may continue into September.
The feds have been holding out on the state over a technical dispute regarding eligibility. Because of the disagreement, the state was not reimbursed for $249.2 million for the first quarter. The second quarter deadline is approaching next month, but Budget Secretary Ben Barnes said it’s not clear whether that payment is coming.
“If this is not worked out we’re going to have to substantially pay,” Barnes said Friday.
At the very least, Barnes said he believes Connecticut should be receiving 50 percent reimbursement until they can negotiate for the rest to cover the cost of the care already delivered for this population of low-income adults.
“This could put Connecticut into another cash crunch,” Republican state Rep. Vincent Candelora of North Branford said Friday.
Candelora said he hopes this issue is resolved quickly because if it isn’t, then the state is going to have to take $249.2 million “that we can’t afford to be without” out of the state’s checkbook...
The Republicans have been playing with the ACA and not honoring the contracts that exist in the federal government to take care of people in the ACA. Those monies were guaranteed to the states and there is no financial emergency. As a matter of fact there are tax increases to the wealthy and the deficit is closing. The Republicans are attempting to cause pain to the people for political purposes. This is toying with the government for the benefit of politics. There should be ethic violations already in process to those that sought to undermine the good faith of the federal government with the states.
