Faso’s Philosophical Conundrum
With
the collapse of the Graham/Cassidy bill, Congressman John Faso just
dodged a bullet. He has long railed against the State of New York’s
transfer of Medicaid obligations to localities, calling it Nelson
Rockefeller’s “51-year-old mistake.” In July the House AHCA bill passed
with a special amendment (tailored to Faso’s request) that denied
federal funds to New York if it didn’t rescind its requirement of a
county share for Medicaid.
The
National Association of Medicaid Directors, declaring its members
“strong proponents of state innovation in the drive towards health care
system transformation,” nevertheless asserted the following: “the
per-capita caps and the envisioned block grant [of the proposed
Graham/Cassidy legislation] would constitute the largest
intergovernmental transfer of financial risk from the federal government
to the states in our country’s history.” It concluded by urging Congress to “revisit comprehensive Medicaid reform” with more “careful consideration.”
Some
Senate Republicans claim that in the future they will continue to push
ACA repeal and replacement with the Graham/Cassidy concept of block
grants to states. If this GOP policy goal persists and the House
initiates new legislation around state block grants, Rep. Faso will have
to explain to his constituents whether what’s good for the goose is
good for the gander. Will he profess outrage about New York State’s
Medicaid requirements for counties but find it acceptable for Uncle Sam
to dump Medicaid in the lap of the 50 states with massively reduced
funding? Remember his vote on the AHCA bill and stay tuned.
Tom Denton
Publishing history
Daily Freeman 10/1
New Paltz Times 10/19
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