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 unfunded
mandates and 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.
Publishing history
Kingston Freeman 10/1
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