- The other healthcare lawsuit: California Medicaid (aka Medi-Cal) case headed to Supreme Court, By Marilyn Chase, June 6, 2011, Los Angeles Times: “With valet parking for patients, video-conferencing for parents of premature babies and a healing garden abloom with azaleas, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital tries to maintain the amenities of a thriving community hospital. But chief financial officer Mich Riccioni is focused on the fiscal strains Memorial is facing. Nearly a quarter of the hospital’s patients are on California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, and the state has been trying for years to cut its reimbursement rates for hospitals and other healthcare providers. Memorial, a 278-bed hospital in this city 55 miles north of San Francisco, sued California to try to stop the payment reductions. Now it is part of a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could redefine states’ responsibilities on Medicaid services and ultimately determine whether Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown can go forward with cuts he says are vital to closing the state’s budget gap. The court is likely to hear arguments in the fall and render a decision by next spring…”
- Texas House approves Medicaid changes, By Chris Tomlinson (AP), June 8, 2011, Houston Chronicle: “Texas lawmakers passed major changes to Medicaid on Wednesday that would privatize the health program in South Texas and allow the formation of health care cooperatives. The 142-page measure is part of a special legislative session. The Legislative Budget Board says it could save the state $467 million, almost two-thirds of that from Medicaid savings. Medicaid is a joint state and federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty