- Medicaid measure clears Florida House, By Marc Caputo, April 20, 2010, Miami Herald: “Large HMOs will have more power than ever in Florida’s growing Medicaid program under a major health-reform package that cleared the House on Monday. The goals are lofty: Stop rampant fraud, reduce skyrocketing costs and improve healthcare for the almost 2.8 million poor, elderly and catastrophically sick Floridians served by Medicaid. The success of the bill hinges on the philosophy that private companies do a better job managing public health benefits than the government or individual Medicaid providers, who see patients on a pay-as-you go basis in what is known as a ‘fee for service’ system. By largely ending fee-for-service, the proposal so fundamentally changes Medicaid that almost every lobby — hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, homes for the developmentally disabled, pharmacists — has voiced concerns…”
- Fla. House ignores own analysts who warn of pushing elderly to managed care, By Stephen Nohlgren, April 20, 2010, St. Petersburg Times: “Elderly Floridians who want to stay out of nursing homes would be forced into managed care under two bills passed Monday by the House in an effort to pare Medicaid costs. But the Legislature’s own policy analysts suggest that managed care may be more expensive for frail older people, based on the track record of HMOs. A recent report examined a managed care program that provides home health care, housekeeping and many other at-home services, as well as assisted living when necessary. It did keep people out of nursing homes but was more expensive than two traditional programs, run by not-for-profit agencies, that cover the same services. The state could save by beefing up the traditional programs, the analysts said. The House bills would do just the opposite – wiping out the traditional programs and putting elderly clients into managed care…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty