Martinez extends state’s food stamp aid, By Barry Massey (AP), June 6, 2011, Santa Fe New Mexican: “Republican Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday she will extend a state program through September to supplement federal food-stamp benefits for about 4,000 low-income elderly and disabled New Mexicans. Martinez will use federal economic stimulus money to prevent a reduction of food-stamp benefits starting in July, when the program otherwise would have ended. The Legislature did not approve any money for the program in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts next month, although the Martinez administration had requested $650,000. The governor estimated it will cost $50,000 a month to continue the food-stamp assistance…”
Tag: New Mexico
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – New Mexico
State plans to stop food stamp supplement for elderly, By Barry Massey (AP), June 2, 2011, Alamogordo Daily News: “About 4,000 low-income elderly and disabled New Mexicans will see their food stamp benefits drop in July due to state budget cuts. Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration plans to end a state program that supplements federal food stamp benefits for the elderly and disabled to ensure they get at least $25 a month in assistance. ‘That’s 4,000 seniors who will have less money for food. That’s the impact,’ Ruth Hoffman, director of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in New Mexico, said Tuesday. New Mexicans who qualify for $16 a month in federal food stamps – currently the minimum amount from the federal government – also get an extra $9 a month from the state to make certain their combined assistance is $25. But the Democratic-controlled Legislature provided no money to continue the supplemental benefits in the upcoming budget year, which starts July 1. The Martinez administration had requested $600,000 from the Legislature to continue the program…”
States and Medicaid Incentive Programs
- Medicaid to offer rewards for healthy behavior, By Aimee Miles, April 8, 2011, Kaiser Health News: “A federal grant program authorized in the health overhaul law is offering states $100 million to reward Medicaid recipients who make an effort to quit smoking or keep their weight, blood pressure or cholesterol levels in check. The grant program is meant to encourage states, many of which are under pressure to cut Medicaid costs, to experiment with an uncertain approach to wellness: offering incentives for healthy behavior. ‘Medicaid is almost the sweet spot for financial rewards,’ said George Loewenstein, a behavioral economist at Carnegie Mellon University who has studied the effect of financial incentives on behavior. Medicaid recipients, he explains, are economically disadvantaged and have more to gain from incentives. Loewenstein, however, is dubious about whether incentives, especially those tied to weight loss, could really work. He’s not alone. Behavioral incentive programs have shown some promise in specific settings, but they are largely untested in the Medicaid population…”
- State seeks ways to stretch Medicaid dollars, By Trip Jennings, April 4, 2011, Santa Fe New Mexican: “New Mexico smokers who rely on Medicaid might rethink that next cigarette. The same goes for that sugary pastry. Like other states struggling to find ways to stretch dollars spent on health care for the poor, New Mexico is seeking ways to save money on the fast-expanding government insurance program. Encouraging Medicaid enrollees to take more responsibility for their own health issues is likely to be part of the discussion. Last month, New Mexico’s human services agency quietly issued a 61-page document inviting bidders to contemplate ways to redesign Medicaid, which serves roughly one in four New Mexicans. Among the issues the state Human Services Department highlighted when seeking proposals from interested firms is changing the responsibilities of Medicaid enrollees for such things as cost sharing and healthy behaviors…”