Thread: Nevada governor wants to explore dropping Medicaid

Nevada governor wants to explore dropping Medicaid

By The Associated Press
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 7:21 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev.— Gov. Jim Gibbons is considering pulling Nevada out of the federal Medicaid health care program.

A spokesman for the Republican governor said Thursday that because of the bad economy, the state can no longer cover costs for the program that provides free health care to more than 233,000 Nevadans.

Gibbons spokesman Daniel Burns says the state would be on the hook for crippling payments if Congress approves a pending health care bill.

The federal government provides most Medicaid funding.

Under the health care plan being considered by a Senate-House conference committee, officials say Nevada would pay an $613 million more between 2014 and 2019. That would provide health care through Medicaid for another 328,000 people.

Nevada wouldn't have additional Medicaid costs in the three years before 2014.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... -medicaid/

Just wonder how many of the Medicaid recipients are illegal aliens?

I live in So Cal and I can't find a doctor who will take medicaid.

Harry Reid cuts Medicaid deal for Nevada

State would get full funding for first five years of expanded program

By Lisa Mascaro (contact)
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009 | 10:27 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid secured a deal today that would give Nevada full, 100 percent funding in the Senate health care bill for an initial expansion of Medicaid.

The agreement reached with the committee chairman comes after Reid vowed last week to strike a better deal for Nevada before bringing any legislation to the floor.

Reid took heat from Republican Rep. Nathan Deal of Georgia who bemoaned the majority leader’s powerful reach into Senate negotiations to improve the bill for Nevada.

The deal would give Nevada full funding for the first five years of the program — an effort to ease concerns that Nevada would be unable to afford the federally-mandated expansion of care for the poor.

The Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, announced today that struggling states — particularly those with high unemployment rates — would receive the full funding for the first five years of the expansion. Nevada’s unemployment rate is the second highest in the nation.

Gov. Jim Gibbons said last week that the cash-strapped state should not be saddled with providing extra care for uninsured adults unless it is fully reimbursed, and the governor's office was wary of only temporary aid. Republican Sen. John Ensign has introduced a committee amendment to scrap the required expansion if it increases state budgets for Medicaid by more than 1 percent.

Nevada would have seen its annual expenditure on Medicaid grow by 5 percent annually — the second largest increase in the nation. The average annual increase for states was estimated at less than 1 percent.

With the full reimbursement, and other changes announced today, the increase to Nevada’s annual Medicaid expenditure would be 1.6 percent, Reid’s office said.

The Medicaid expansion being considered in the House and Senate bills would require states to cover more children and parents, and also offer new coverage for poor, childless adults — those individuals making less than $14,400 a year — who currently are not eligible for Medicaid.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/se ... medicaid-/

Moving to Other Topics.

Originally Posted by agrneydgrl

I live in So Cal and I can't find a doctor who will take medicaid.

It's not just So.Cal. It's many areas of the country.

Many doctors won't accept new Medicare patients either.

This bill must be defeated at all costs, as the hospitals, health insurers and big pharma are only out to make a profit. Medicare and Medicaid fraud is incredible. Even primary care doctors that accept them need to funnel as many patients as possible to make a profit. So much for the Hippocratic oath.

Finding a Doctor Who Accepts Medicare Isn't Easy - NYTimes.com
Apr 2, 2009 ... Even doctors who won't take new Medicare patients may be willing to ... doctors accept Medicare and other insurance, but charge patients an ...
www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/business/.../02health.html - Similar

USATODAY.com - Rejections rise for Medicare patients
Medicare generally doesn't offer incentives to doctors or patients to choose ... I won't take care of your sister because I don't accept new Medicare patients.' " ... It found 95% of doctors said they would accept new Medicare patients, ...
www.usatoday.com/news/health/2001-02-19-medicare.htm - Cached - Similar

Mayo Clinic in Arizona to Stop Treating Some Medicare Patients .
..Dec 31, 2009 ... “Some primary care doctors don't have to see Medicare patients because ... Medicare patients at the Glendale clinic won't be allowed to ... Mayo is helping other patients find new physicians who will accept Medicare. ...
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2060108 ... oYSI84VdL0

Note to Medicaid Patients: The Doctor Won't See You.
« SF Gray ...Jul 19, 2007 ... The dwindling number of doctors who accept Medicaid is a large, ... makers hope the new program will pay doctors rates similar to Medicare ...
mlyon01.wordpress.com/.../note-to-medicaid-patients-the-doctor-wont-see-you/ - Cached - Similar