Florida looks to revamp Medicaid

[Engineer]

Click me!



2.2 Million FL folks covered by Medicaid. I assume this is because of the age, income, etc.

Comments?

Good?

Bad?

Seems like the welfare system is broken and too many people just sponge off the system (and the rest of us).

Fla. Gov. Eyes Changes to State Medicaid

Tue Jan 11, 7:16 PM ET U.S. National - AP


By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press Writer

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush outlined a plan Tuesday to link Florida's Medicaid program to private insurance companies that would set limits on health coverage.



Bush said Florida's health care safety net for uninsured nursing home patients and the poor faced unsustainable double-digit cost increases and was in dire need of revamping.


The governor said he envisions giving people with different health care needs flexibility to choose between plans, and rewarding those who make healthy lifestyle choices, such as not smoking.


Under the plan, which would need approval from Florida lawmakers and the federal government, the state would pay the premiums of Medicaid recipients for health care plans offered by private insurance companies and health maintenance organizations.


Participating insurers or HMOs, rather than the government, would set limits on care and coverage. Providers would compete to serve Medicaid patients, saving money, Bush argues.


States around the country are struggling with ballooning Medicaid costs, and Bush is not the first to consider increased privatization.


Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue's administration recently proposed shifting 1 million Medicaid recipients into private-sector, managed care programs, and several states have already privatized parts of Medicaid. But in many of those states, private insurers won't cover those who need expensive health care, particularly the elderly, who remain in traditional state-run programs.


Bush said he anticipates all services currently covered by Medicaid continuing under various plans in the new system, which would be phased in starting later this year if it's approved.


About 2.2 million Floridians are covered by Medicaid.


Republican legislative leaders sounded generally supportive of the Bush approach.


"Changes of this magnitude are not easy," warned House Speaker Allan Bense. "But doing nothing is simply not an option if we are to adequately fund Medicaid and all the state's other critical needs."


But Bush's use of the term "defined contribution" as a method for controlling costs alarmed Karen Woodall, an advocate for low income Floridians.


"That's another way to say, 'capping the program,'" Woodall said. "It means you're going to put a limit on what people can expend on health care. What happens if an individual goes above and beyond their defined contribution?"


Others wondered what would happen if private companies determine that needed care won't be covered at all. If a private insurer does that now, often the person may be covered by Medicaid.


"If a provider says, 'Enough's enough,' what do we do with those people?" asked Senate Democratic Leader Les Miller, who said Bush's plan was too vague and a "risky experiment."

 

[Geardo]

Eliminate it!

 

[dmcowen674]

This is a coordinated concert by the RRR FLL to knock off as many people as possible so they will have a lot more money to pillage out of Social Security.

First Tennessee, now Florida, Georgia.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: Geardo
Eliminate it!

Policital suicide. Never fully happen.

 

[Mungo Jerry]

dmcowen674, I disagree with your analysis on this subject.. Personally, I think the problem is with TFHL's believing that a VRWC is somehow taking over the country. Truth is, the VRWC is really the TFHL's way of dealing with ICBBW and OMGMPDWM.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: Mungo Jerry
dmcowen674, I disagree with your analysis on this subject.. Personally, I think the problem is with TFHL's believing that a VRWC is somehow taking over the country. Truth is, the VRWC is really the TFHL's way of dealing with ICBBW and OMGMPDWM.

Uh....Ok....😕?

Off Topic forum is on the left side of the menu.

 

[conjur]

Governor of Florida proposes Medicaid Overhaul
http://www.medicalnewstoday.co...lnews.php?newsid=18828

The governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, would like to see private insurers manage a large part of Florida's Medicaid Program. J Bush says the current system is costly and inflexible.

His proposal may affect over two million people in Florida who are part of the Medicaid Program - mainly seniors and people on lower incomes. J Bush says Medicaid needs to be overhauled. Medicaid costs have been rising at twice the rate of other state spending.

J Bush said "We're left with a broken system that creates barriers for patients, removes incentives for compassionate high-quality health care and encourages fraud and abuse by some vendors who have learned how to gain from the system rather than take care of Florida's most vulnerable citizens.? J Bush would like to see the state's role limited to quality control, education and supervision. He would like to have private organizations take over the running of things while the state pays premiums for Medicaid recipients.

Under his plan, Medicaid recipients would have more choice, says J Bush. Since 1999 Medicaid costs have more than doubled in Florida. According to J Bush's estimates, Medicaid costs will account for 60% of Florida's spending in ten years' time if nothing is done to change the system.

As over half of the money for Medicaid expenditure comes from central government, Bush said that this will take time - it will also need federal approval.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to put a ban on retirees from moving to Florida?