WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), today held a hearing examining three legislative proposals that would strengthen Medicaid and prioritize the most vulnerable.
“Medicaid - a state-federal partnership designed as a safety net for the most vulnerable - has grown at a rapid rate," stated Chairman Burgess. “Today’s Medicaid program is three times larger - by enrollment and spending - than it was in 1997 under President Bill Clinton. This safety-net program will cover up to 98 million people this year, and will cost taxpayers more than $600 billion."
A line of questioning by full committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) with Dr. Avik Roy, President of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, stressed the overarching goal of today’s hearing.
“Look, this is not a debate about whether or not we should provide, and subsidize, and help people who need health insurance and are poor. It’s what’s the best way to do that," said Dr. Roy. “And I firmly believe that the best way to do that is giving those patients more control over the health care dollars that are spent on their behalf. You get less waste and fraud, more accountability, and more innovation in the delivery of health care." Chairman Walden agreed and highlighted recent meetings with governors, where repeated demands for increased flexibility have been made.
Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) inquired about the type of officials at CMS overseeing Medicaid and their backgrounds. Highlighting publicly available data on CMS officials, Rep. Bucshon said, “only four percent held a credential as a health care provider … only five percent worked for a state Medicaid program."
John McCarthy, former Director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid, and former Deputy Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance, articulated that Medicaid directors need to be brought into the process for rules and regulations earlier, saying, “the rules and regulations for how states are looked at have to be different."
A background memo, witness testimony, and an archived webcast of the markup can be found on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s website here. See Also
* Medicaid Oversight: Existing Problems and Ways to Strengthen the Program
