Health Care Reform Articles - December 19, 2011

MaineCare facts, moral dilemmas and unintended consequences

By Jonathan Sprague, president, Rocky Coast Consulting

Posted Dec. 17, 2011, at 1:51 p.m.

Maine is facing profound economic and moral challenges as we consider MaineCare. Issues of societal trust, governmental accountability and community values are significant. Maine cannot move forward without greater scrutiny of expenditures. There are undeniable budget deficits and a need for fiscal responsibility. No state can sustain spending a third of its budget on Medicaid.

It is inappropriate to lay the burden of responsibility for failures on any one administration or Legislature. Hundreds of good people have tried to help Maine’s most at-risk citizens. Nonetheless, mistakes, poor decisions, failures of leadership and ineptitude are legend and overwhelming in their frequency. We have to break this cycle; however, current discussions perpetuate it.

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/17/opinion/contributors/mainecare-facts-moral-dilemmas-and-unintended-consequences/print/

Doctors’ group suggests tax increases to pay for MaineCare

By Jackie Farwell, BDN Staff

Posted Dec. 16, 2011, at 5:59 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Public hearings on proposed MaineCare cuts continued into the third day Friday and included a call to resurrect a once-unpopular beverage tax.

Gov. Paul LePage ruled out the possibility of any tax increase at a Thursday press conference, but a representative of the Maine Medical Association urged lawmakers to consider new revenue sources rather than radically restructure the MaineCare health insurance program.

“The real human needs will not go away,” Andrew MacLean, deputy executive vice president of the association, testified before the Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees, according to written testimony. “Costs simply will be shifted elsewhere in state government and in our economy.”

LePage has called for tightening eligibility guidelines, eliminating services and repealing coverage for thousands of recipients to bring MaineCare closer to national averages. He has said his plan is the best way to address an estimated $220 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services budget. MaineCare is the state’s version of the federal Medicaid program.

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/16/news/state/doctors-group-suggests-tax-increases-to-pay-for-mainecare/print/

December 18 Our View: Doctor LePage offers wrong cure for DHHS Treating a health care crisis as though it were a budget challenge won't fix the real problem. If Gov. LePage were a doctor, he might be sued for malpractice: He has not only prescribed the wrong medicine for a budget shortfall in Maine's health care safety net, he has diagnosed the wrong disease. http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=Our+View%3A+Doctor+LePage+offers+wrong+cure+for+DHHS&urlID=467109987&action=cpt&partnerID=582767&cid=135770038&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pressherald.com%2Fopinion%2Fdoctor-lepage-offers-wrong-cure-for-dhhs_2011-12-18.html A Texas-Sized Medicaid Deal TOPICS: STATES, MEDICAID, HOSPITALS By CARRIE FEIBEL, KUHF DEC 15, 2011 This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes KUHF,  and Kaiser Health News. The deal that federal regulators struck with Texas this week to expand managed care coverage for the poor allows both Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican presidential contender, and a Democratic White House to claim victory for their very different healthcare agendas. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/December/15/Texas-Medicaid-Waiver-Public-Hospitals.aspx?p=1