Medicaid Matters New York

· So, the budget must provide coverage for nutrition products for anyone who needs them, and restore access to PT, OT speech therapy, compression stockings and orthotics

Budget should reflect commitment to investment and reform of the Medicaid program, say Medicaid consumer advocates, in response to State of the State address

We are fresh off the heels of the Medicaid Redesign process, which resulted in numerous, extensive recommendations on making major improvements and smart investments in New York’s Medicaid program. While the process was not perfect and not every proposal was wise, some proposals would result in advancements that consumers have fought long and hard for, like proposals to collect data on health care disparities and reform Medicaid funding for charity care.

The Governor did not highlight Medicaid in his State of the State address, so not much is yet known about what to expect this year for the state’s public insurance program on which five million New Yorkers rely. As advocates for those New Yorkers, we are hopeful the Governor’s 2012-2013 Budget will refrain from drastic cuts to the program and will instead demonstrate a commitment to using Medicaid savings for targeted investments that will ensure equitable access to services for all.

Cuts to the program could endanger the ambitious goals of Medicaid Redesign. The Executive Budget must protect the Medicaid program, paying particular attention to how every Medicaid budget action could impact on people and the accessible providers in the community that serve them.

1/13/11 Governor Cuomo has created a Medicaid Redesign Team to figure out how to make smart changes to the Medicaid program to begin to make it more cost effective. The MMNY Coordinator, Lara Kassel, has been appointed to sit on the Team to represent Medicaid beneficiaries. The following will be used to measure the ideas brought to the Governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team:

Maintain benefits while eliminating barriers to accessing care and services.
Maintain eligibility levels, and continue to streamline eligibility, enrollment and re-enrollment processes.
Ensure maximum transparency and accountability in all Medicaid spending, such as aligning charity care payments to hospitals with actual service to the uninsured.
Avoid across-the-board cuts to Medicaid providers; safety-net providers should be protected over better resourced, less accessible providers.
Protect the safety-net providers that serve Medicaid consumers and the uninsured, so that medically underserved, low-income communities do not continue to lose access to health care services, as they have in the past.
Maximize available Federal funding to support innovation throughout the Medicaid program and ensure that funding is aimed at improving care and services.
Improve quality, performance, and access to care to eliminate health disparities. Engage in monitoring and assessment to ensure changes actually benefit consumers.
Continue to modernize Medicaid reimbursement to emphasize community-based primary and preventive care and long term services and supports.
Care coordination and managed care proposals must have broad community input to ensure quality, innovative service design and benefit packages, and good outcomes for people with mental health needs and complex medical conditions.
Offer provider rate incentives that encourage providers to serve people with multiple, complex needs.