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Negron Eyes Possible Medicaid Changes
December 27, 2016
With Donald Trump moving into the White House and Republicans controlling Congress, Florida Senate President Joe Negron said he wants to start working on a “framework” for how the state could move forward with major changes in the Medicaid program.
Conservatives have long discussed the idea of turning Medicaid into a block-grant program that would give states more flexibility in crafting details of how they provide health care to low-income residents. That discussion has been refueled with last month’s election of Trump, who has made Medicaid block grants part of his health-care platform.
Negron said he has he talked with Senate Health Policy Chairwoman Dana Young, R-Tampa, and Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairwoman Anitere Flores, R-Miami, about “building a framework for what a block grant program would look like now that there is a reasonable chance that would happen.”
“I don’t want to want to wait until the federal government acts and Congress acts and then we go into next session and try to build it,” Negron, R-Stuart, said. “I’d like to build out the model of what a Florida-run Medicaid system would look like, and then when Washington acts, Florida would be ready to go.”
Medicaid, which is funded by the federal and state governments, is a highly complicated program that provides care to about 4 million Florida residents, which children making up more than half of the state’s enrollees, according to presentations given this month to lawmakers.
The program is governed by federal laws, with states able to seek approval for what are known as “waivers” to make changes. Perhaps the best example in Florida is a waiver that the state has used in recent years to require most Medicaid beneficiaries to enroll in managed-care plans.
Broadly, a shift to a block-grant program would involve the federal government sending money to states, which would have more freedom to run the programs as they wish. But such a change would be controversial and need approval in Washington, with critics contending that it ultimately would lead to cuts in health-care funding for low-income people.
“A Medicaid block grant would institute deep cuts to federal funding for state Medicaid programs and threaten benefits for tens of millions of low-income families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities,” the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in a report posted online Nov. 30. “To compensate for these severe funding cuts, states would likely have no choice but to institute draconian cuts to eligibility, benefits, and provider payments.”
But with Florida, like Washington, fully controlled by Republicans for at least the next two years, leaders including Negron and Gov. Rick Scott are touting the idea of moving to a block-grant system — a change that Negron likened to inventing the “system from scratch.”
“I think that gives us a lot more flexibility for our Medicaid system and hopefully would, I think, provide an extraordinary opportunity for the House and the Senate to look at ways to perhaps make health insurance available to men and women who get up and go to work every day in Florida but maybe can’t pay the full cost of their health insurance,” Negron said.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Comments
7 Responses to “Negron Eyes Possible Medicaid Changes”
I can not believe some of these comments. I pray non of you ever need assistance. I was married and had 2 children. My husband died when he was in his twenties. I did not qualify to get social security benefits for my children because you had to work past 25 years old to be qualified. This left me as a single mother with no help. I always had a job. I do not drink nor do drugs. I would had never survived with no help. If you knew the system you do not get more help past 2 children regardless how many children you have. That changed in the early 2000’s. Next of all, No child should have to be hungry. The percentage of the people who abuse the system is lower than you think. Other countries have free health care for all people and there is no reason America couldn’t have this also. We all deserve a better health system. Before you Judge someone, Remember only God can Judge.
@just saying
As you said, unfortunately it is the hard working lower paid people that get the raw deal in the entire “welfare” system. This is why it needs to be re-vamped.
My heartburn comes from your exact situation. I’m not wealthy, I live pay check to pay check but I’m thankful I’m able to survive on my own.
The entire welfare system was intended as a helping hand, for short term assistance to individuals while they get on their feet. Regretfully, for many it has become a way of life, they teach their children how to live off of the backs of the working class. If there were limits on full benefits, more funds could be aimed at aiding people actually working and trying to do right by their family. Sadly, all of the money goes to those that are truely disabled, and those that have never worked an honest day in their life. So the people trying to improve their lot in life get penalized and lose benefits, so they refuse to excel in life. The system is broken, and desperately needs to be fixed before it bankrupts the working class. It needs to focus on the people that are willing to help themselves but need a little help. As a tax payer, I’m tired of seeing the money taken from me, being wasted on crap that we ourselves would never do, or could afford to do. Health insurance is so high because of the Medicaid system, but also from the non regulation of prescription costs and medical billing. Saying it is all medicaids fault is rediculious. If that were the case, Medicaid would be paying the medical bills and healthcare costs wouldn’t be sky high.
I don’t live in Florida anymore, but I want to say something about Medicaid in my state. A single parent with 3 children who makes more than $443 per month… does not qualify.
I work a full time job and make about $400 a week. Rent is $650. Electric bill is about $100. Water bill is $50. I make too much money to qualify for food stamps and groceries run about $400 a month. Gas and auto insurance is about $100. My car is 20 years old. Phone bill is $40. Household necessities such as soap, shampoo, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, etc run me another $100. Then there is the cost of shoes, clothing, school uniforms and supplies, etc. School lunches cost me $120 a month since we don’t qualify for free lunches because…I make too much and don’t receive government assistance. I do not have cable or even own a tv. We read, play games, etc.
Insurance is not offered by my employer, so I am supposed to use Obamacare. The cheapest option available to me through the exchange is $278 a month. That plan involves $30 copay at the doctor, $15 copay for prescriptions and a very high deductible to be paid out of pocket before any benefits are payable. Do you think I can afford that?
I scrape by every month just to make it through to the next month and do it all over again. I DO NOT use drugs or alcohol! I am almost 50 years old. I have a college degree.
Find another job, you say? The one I have is physically and mentally draining and one of the better paying jobs here. I have put in applications all over to no avail.
Move elsewhere, you say? How? With what money? Find cheaper rent? Ha, this IS the cheap rent!
This country doesn’t care about helping all the hard working parents out there who are just trying to take care of their children.
People who are commenting about having multiple kids to get more assistance…know nothing of what they speak. Those who say it’s finding drug habits… again, know nothing about the issue. Yes, there will always be some who abuse the system. That’s human nature, but the vast majority of us are hardworking people who are doing the best we can… without help from the government that cares so deeply for those of us who are simply trying to do the right thing!
Some comments, just wow. Hating on the poor and calling them drug addicts because they need Medicaid is really naive. We have had a shrinking middle class for decades and when we don’t support having a stronger middle class we end up with more poor people who need assistance like Medicaid.
On the issue of drug addicts, statistically speaking you have about the same percentages of people having addiction problems in every social status. The drug addicted idea that comes up in regard to Medicaid seems bigoted and really has no place in a discussion about Medicaid.
All that being said, if you want your Insurance Premium cost to stay affordable, we need programs like Medicaid and a Public Option Insurance would be a good idea to cover the gap for people who don’t qualify for Medicaid so they have a path for making more money without risking the loss of health insurance.
When people are poor and don’t have access to health care through some insurance, they end up not seeing a doctor, not staying healthy and they end in Emergency Rooms with bills they can’t afford to pay all because they had no other choice. Guess how the hospitals cover the loss for the bills that don’t get paid? They pass the cost onto everyone else which leads to higher premiums in regular health insurance.
So you can pay pennies in taxes to support Medicaid and give the poor options other than going to the ER or you get to pay more dollars to your Insurance Provider for covering the cost of higher medical bills, higher copays and higher out of pocket expenses for yourself.
One way or another all medical bills are going to get paid. If you want to get people off of Medicaid, then do things to strengthen the Middle Class and give people higher wages.
Public healthcare is not the issue @fair. People abusing public healthcare which is generally attached to state welfare helping those who abuse the system. We need to stop being enablers for these drug addicts and those who skirt the system by having their Cadillac’s in other families names in order to get full benefits or having multiple kids they barely take care of in order to get more money from the state. Removing public healthcare is not an answer, restructuring how individuals qualify is the answer. Making it so they go to work (those that are physically and mentally able), making it so they must carry insurance from their employers. Allowing more and better insurance companies to be competitive with their rates. Drug testing all who apply for benefits so profiling is not the issue, limiting benefits to a certain number of claimed children etc. Also, more accountability into where these individuals are spending their funds and the assets they are paying for. Lastly limiting benefits for immigrants. Try going to any other country in the world and applying for that countries benefits, it won’t happen until you become a citizen. So we should limit benefits to those who are going through the process of becoming a US citizen and doing so within a given time frame.
Hope he cuts all public healthcare.
I’m sure the plan will include cuts to healthcare for women.