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| Monday, August 23, 2010 |
State Request for Extension of Medicaid Reform Pilot
Denied by CMS
Statement from Florida CHAIN
Jupiter, FL- On Saturday, August 21st, health advocates learned of the denial of Florida’s request to extend the 1115 Medicaid Reform Waiver by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Florida CHAIN, the statewide health advocacy organization has monitored the impact of the program on the over 200,000 Floridians currently enrolled since its inception. Executive Director Laura Goodhue released the following statement:
“As advocates working with and on behalf of Medicaid recipients, we are extremely pleased with federal CMS’ decision to decline the State’s request for a blanket extension of the Waiver authorizing the flawed Medicaid Reform experiment. By its action, CMS has finally forced the State to acknowledge the persistent, unresolved problems with the Reform Pilot that have been apparent to all but its staunchest supporters over the past 4 years.
We look forward to finally having a candid and thorough review of Medicaid Reform and its impact on the lowest-income children, seniors, and people with disabilities who must depend on Medicaid. This process should include the input of healthcare consumers and their advocates who are most affected by the policy. The review will provide a long-awaited opportunity to assess how Florida can actually use the flexibility available under the Waiver appropriately, shifting the central focus of the experiment from what HMOs and their shareholders want to what vulnerable Medicaid patients need.
CMS’ decision also presents obstacles for proposals by legislative leaders to take the experiment to greater extremes. They have discussed giving Medicaid HMOs even more flexibility and power, putting recipients’ well-being and taxpayers’ investment in jeopardy. Given the problems with a 5-county Pilot in which only a few rules were waived, however, the prospects for federal approval of a statewide voucher with few rules now appropriately seem beyond bleak.”
For questions and answers about the Medicaid Reform extension denial, click here.
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Florida CHAIN is a statewide advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health of all Floridians by promoting access to quality, affordable health care. CHAIN stands for Community Health Action Information Network and should be capitalized. Florida CHAIN’s website is www.floridachain.org.
