Visitor Comments

Facing The Medicaid Challenge

The scathing criticism from the Office of the Inspector General is basically a rehash of a dubious "study" from the Georgetown Health Center. This group has opposed reform from the beginning. Their criticism revolves around a survey of doctors (with a response rate of 8%) saying they did not plan on participating in the reform. GHC admits in a footnote that the results may not be generalizable do to the poor response rate. In fact, over 95% of physicians that had participated in the previous Medicaid Plan are participating in reform plans in Broward and Duval Counties. The complaints from beneficiaries were derived from a focus groups set up by Georgetown with a total of 80 participants (out of 200,000 reform beneficiaries). As for the decision not to expand enrollment statewide, several legislators have assured me expansion will continue.
And another thing... has it occurred to anyone that maybe, just maybe, the reason why there are more people in Medicaid than there are "poor" people is because the way we measure poverty in this country is woefully outdated? You are poor if you earn about $12,000 or less per year! So if you earn $15,000 per year, you are not poor anymore. Welcome to the bounty! And welcome to needing Medicaid services, too, because it is unfathomable to assume that your minimum wage job with no benefits will allow you to afford your own health insurance.
I wouldn't be so gong-ho about the "great" Florida Medicaid Reform. After challenges to its legality by the GAO, a scathing criticism by the Florida's own Office of the Inspector General, countless roundtables, focus groups and town hall meetings where those actually affected by the changes spoke out about how negatively they are affected, the Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (the entity that manages Medicaid and Medicaid reform in Florida) has decided NOT to recommend its expansion beyond the original pilot counties. And you think it might be worth expanding this disaster beyond Florida?
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