States and Medicaid Rules

Bredesen urges Medicaid reform, By Elizabeth Bewley, March 1, 2012, The Tennessean: “The federal government must act more quickly and efficiently in exempting states from certain Medicaid requirements, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday. Bredesen, a Democrat and former health-care executive, joined four other former governors from both parties at a Bipartisan Policy Center roundtable to urge reforms in the Medicaid waiver process. Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor – known as TennCare in Tennessee – accounts for 16 percent of state spending, second only to education. States can apply for waivers from some Medicaid rules in an effort to cut costs and try new approaches. TennCare, considered a pilot program by the federal government, operates under a waiver. Bredesen and the other governors said Thursday that it takes too long to get waivers approved by the federal government, which means states can’t quickly enact cost-saving ideas. That means that as they attempt to balance their budgets they must either cut benefits or take funds from other programs – such as education – to fund Medicaid…”