Brooklynian » Topic: Medicaid Wars (warning: boring)

Brooklynian » Topic: Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring en-US Wed, 22 May 2013 10:37:28 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://brooklynian.com/forum/search.php Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-765472 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:32:41 +0000 prodigalson 765472@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ GOP Governor Begs Her Party To Expand Medicaid: ‘The Human Cost Of This Tragedy Can’t Be Calculated’ <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03/06/1679461/brewer-medicaid-human-cost/?mobile=nc" rel="nofollow">http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03/06/1679461/brewer-medicaid-human-cost/?mobile=nc</a> She and other right wingers thought this was "socialism" but, as always, now go hat in hand begging for a handout. Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-765468 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:53:49 +0000 whynot_31 765468@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ New York's bloated, inefficient system gets an overhaul. While that is great, it is sad that it had to get to this level before we could address it. The Feds are finally allowing states to implement it in ways that result in savings, and care improvements. <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/A-national-model-for-Medicaid-reform-4337841.php#ixzz2MxIQIBGY" rel="nofollow">http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/A-national-model-for-Medicaid-reform-4337841.php#ixzz2MxIQIBGY</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-761510 Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:39:16 +0000 whynot_31 761510@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ tick, tick, goes the clock <blockquote><center>THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20201 </center> November 9,2012 Dear Governor: Over the past two years, we have worked together as many of you began building your new health insurance marketplaces. The hard work you have engaged in has laid the foundation for providing access to quality affordable coverage for millions of Americans. Consumers in all fifty states and the District of Columbia will have access to insurance through these new marketplaces on January 1, 2014, as scheduled, with no delays. This Administration is committed to providing significant flexibility for building a marketplace that best meets your state's needs. We intend to issue further guidance to assist you in the very near future. Funding is now available to you no matter where you are in the process of establishing an Exchange and no matter whether you plan to run your own Exchange, partner with another state, or work with the federal government. In response to your request, we previously announced that states have until the end of2014 to apply for these federal funds and have the flexibility to use such funds both for building Exchanges and for associated start-up costs provided that a state's Exchange is not yet self-sustaining. The next application deadline for Levelland Level 2 Exchange establishment grants is November 15,2012. I encourage you to take advantage of these additional resources. As the date approaches for submission of your Blueprint for Approval of State-based and State Partnership Exchanges, we have heard from many states that additional time would allow you to submit a more comprehensive, complete Blueprint application for your Exchange. The deadline for a Declaration Letter for a State-based Exchange remains Friday, November 16, 2012. However, today, in order to continue to provide you with appropriate technical support if you are pursuing a State-based Exchange, HHS is extending the deadline for State-based Exchange Blueprint application submissions to Friday, December 14,2012. HHS will approve or conditionally approve the State-based Exchanges for 2014 by the statutory deadline of January 1,2013. Additionally, if you are pursuing a State Partnership Exchange, we will accept Declaration Letters and Blueprint Applications and make approval determinations for State Partnership Exchanges on a rolling basis. The final deadline for both the Declaration Letter and Blueprint Application for State Partnership Exchanges that would be effective for 2014 has been extended to Friday, February 15,2013. And states will be able to apply to run Exchanges in subsequent years. We are committed to providing you with the flexibility, resources, and technical assistance necessary to help you achieve successful implementation of your state's Exchange and look forward to continuing to work with you as we implement the health care law. Sincerely, Kathleen Sebelius </blockquote> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-759747 Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:40:32 +0000 whynot_31 759747@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ New York’s Medicaid Reforms New York Times Editorial September 17, 2012 New York State has substantially changed its Medicaid program in the past year and a half in ways likely to improve the health of its poorest residents and rein in the program’s enormous costs. Now the state is asking the federal government to let it use $10 billion in projected federal savings from its reforms to modernize hospitals and clinics serving the poor and to expand primary and preventive care. If spent wisely, that investment could turn New York into a model on how to cut Medicaid without harming the beneficiaries. New York’s Medicaid program, the nation’s costliest, spends more than $54 billion a year to cover some five million people, about a quarter of the state’s population. Roughly half the cost is paid by the federal government and the other half by state and local governments. New York faces the same problem as many other states: its share of the costs of this state-federal insurance program for the poor has been rising steadily, limiting its ability to pay for other urgent needs, like education. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, working in collaboration with health care providers and labor leaders, pushed through a budget that seems to be easing the stress. It places a cap on what the state can spend on most Medicaid programs, cuts payments to health care providers and managed care plans and sets up a mechanism to make further cuts to provider payments to stay below the cap, which, so far, has not been breached. The cap started at $15.3 billion last year and is allowed to rise by only 4 percent a year, bringing it to $15.9 billion for the current 2012-13 budget year. The state’s total budget for Medicaid, including noncapped programs, is $20.8 billion for the current year. The reforms do not impose higher cost-sharing on beneficiaries or make significant cuts in benefits except in a few programs, like home care visits for housekeeping services or unlimited rehabilitative services. Most important for the long term, the budget accelerates movement from uncoordinated fee-for-service care to managed care, from high-priced specialists to primary care doctors, and from high-cost institutions to care in the community through grants, technical support and financing for health information technology. Most providers have agreed to accept lower payments in return for having a say in the reforms, rather than having them dictated by Albany. The state estimates its reforms should save the federal government $17 billion over the next five years. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should allow New York to plow $10 billion from money the federal government will save if New York’s projections of future Medicaid savings are as plausible as they look at first glance. The agency should also look hard at New York’s plans to track and measure how well its reforms work and to obtain independent evaluations from outside experts. New York could serve as a model to other states if it can show which reforms work, which don’t, and what their combined effects are on statewide spending. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/opinion/new-yorks-medicaid-reforms.html?_r=1" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/opinion/new-yorks-medicaid-reforms.html?_r=1</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-757897 Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:04:17 +0000 whynot_31 757897@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ <a href="http://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/2012/07/controlling-the-cost-of-medicaid/" rel="nofollow">http://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/2012/07/controlling-the-cost-of-medicaid/</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756620 Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:00:29 +0000 whynot_31 756620@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Expansion of Medicaid seems to be something that will be left to the states. Will poor states do the federal minimum? How The Medicaid Expansion Could Actually Save States Money By Suzy Khimm , Washington Post Blog July 5, 2012 Republican governors opposing the Medicaid expansion have focused on the costs their states would have to take on. But there are also ways that the expansion would save state governments money, helping to offset at least some of the new upfront Medicaid costs. And in some cases, they’re likely to save states more money on Medicaid than they currently are spending. First, many state and local governments help hospitals offset the cost of care they provide to uninsured patients who can’t pay for medical care — paying about $10.5 billion, or 18.5 percent, of the cost of uncompensated care, according to a 2008 study cited by the Urban Institute. Having more patients on Medicaid would help bring down those costs for everyone, which is why hospitals are lobbying hard for states to participate in the expansion. Second, the Medicaid expansion would also reduce state spending on mental health services for lower-income and uninsured patients, which has also grown over time. State and local governments covered 42 percent of the cost of state mental health expenditures in 2009, totaling $16.3 billion. That covered mental health services provided by state mental hospitals, emergency ER visits and, increasingly, community health clinics. Enrolling more state residents into Medicaid would help offset some of the spending on mental health that state and local governments are shouldering already. States will have to begin contributing to Medicaid coverage as well, starting in 2017, but they will still be matched by federal dollars at a 9:1 ratio, getting more bang for the buck on the money they do spend. Advocates for mental health are appealing for states to join the Medicaid expansion on similar grounds. “The expansion of Medicaid also requires those who are newly eligible to receive mental health and substance use services at parity with other benefits. State participation in the Medicaid expansion is therefore critically important,” Mental Health America said in a statement after the ruling. Overall, the savings will likely bring down the upfront costs to states of the Medicaid expansion. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities calculates that state Medicaid spending will ultimately rise by 2.8 percent by 2022 if they join the expansion. However, that figure “actually overstates the net impact on state budgets because it does not reflect the savings that state and local governments will realize in health-care costs for the uninsured,” says CBPP spokesperson Shannon Spillane. “In fact, states could end up with a net gain.” Without factoring in these hospital and mental health savings, only Maine, Massachusetts, and Hawaii are likely to see net savings* from participating in the Medicaid expansion, according to a report that the Urban Institute produced for the Kaiser Family Foundation. The GOP states that have opposed the expansion will pay more upfront, largely because they already have more restrictions on who can participate. But with the savings from uncompensated care and mental health, the number of states seeing net savings could rise. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/05/how-the-medicaid-expansion-also-saves-states-money/" rel="nofollow">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/05/how-the-medicaid-expansion-also-saves-states-money/</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756198 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:48:03 +0000 whynot_31 756198@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Obamacare upheld: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/supreme-court-upholds-obamacare-individual-mandate-tax/story?id=16669186#.T-xrlLd5nTp" rel="nofollow">http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/supreme-court-upholds-obamacare-individual-mandate-tax/story?id=16669186#.T-xrlLd5nTp</a> Like most pieces of landmark legislation (Civil Rights Act of 1964, Brown vs Board of Ed), this means it is time for the hardest work: Implementation or, um, modification. Ready? Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756087 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:03:11 +0000 whynot_31 756087@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ The answer makes being a member of SCOTUS seem less appealing. Meanwhile, the policy wonks wonder what should be tried next if the Supreme court strikes down Obamacare implementation and we are left with our current mess: <a href="http://www.kff.org/pullingittogether/dual-eligibles-health-reform.cfm" rel="nofollow">http://www.kff.org/pullingittogether/dual-eligibles-health-reform.cfm</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756081 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:16:10 +0000 booklaw 756081@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Per <a href="http://www.answers.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.answers.com</a>: <blockquote> A US Supreme Court Term begins the first Monday in October and ends the first Monday in October of the following year. During the year, the Justices hear cases from October through the end of April, and only take the bench to announce opinions during May and June. The Court rises at the end of June or early July after it has disposed of all the cases on its docket for the year. While the justices are out of the public view, their work continues as they prepare for the next Term. </blockquote> See SCOTUS calendar <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/2012termcourtcalendar.pdf">HERE</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756079 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:49:41 +0000 ntfool 756079@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ "It announced that all remaining rulings for the year will come in three days." Wait, what? Does SCOTUS have the rest of the year off? Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756078 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:20:22 +0000 whynot_31 756078@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Thursday. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/25/politics/health-care-ruling/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/25/politics/health-care-ruling/index.html</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756067 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:09:37 +0000 jeffrey 756067@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Not coming down today. Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring/page/2#post-756066 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:03:12 +0000 whynot_31 756066@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ As we await the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act): <a href="http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/8312.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/8312.pdf</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-745842 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:58:34 +0000 whynot_31 745842@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ In a desperate attempt to control costs, the state implements Health Homes. <blockquote>Medicaid 'Health Homes' Not Built Schenectady, Saratoga Counties Await State Action As Networks Begin To End Fee-For-Service Care By Cathleen Crowley Albany Times Union October 26, 2011 On Jan. 1, the state's Medicaid system will start moving into a new model of care. But as one Department of Health official said, describing it is like trying to explain a world inside Dungeons and Dragons: It doesn't really exist. Schenectady and Saratoga counties are among the first counties that, starting Jan. 1, are supposed to enroll Medicaid patients into "health homes," or networks that will manage the care of a Medicaid patient. The state has yet to designate the counties' health homes, or set details of how they will run. Many providers are overwhelmed by how fast the state is changing policies, and fear that patients will slip through the cracks. Organizations are scrambling to partner and form health homes. Even though the start date is Jan. 1, state officials said it will be an evolving process that will take years and enrollment will happen gradually as health homes get up and running. Health homes are not brick-and-mortar structures, but networks of local providers that will share the responsibility of caring for each Medicaid patient they enroll, including physical, mental health and addiction needs. Most networks will be led by a hospital, a community health organization or an insurance company. For example, the Visiting Nurses Association of Schenectady and Saratoga Counties is the lead agency in a proposed network that includes Ellis Medicine, Hometown Health Centers, CDPHP and MVP Healthcare. State leaders believe that coordinated care will be cheaper and better compared to the scattered fee-for service care Medicaid patients currently receive. "There are probably a bunch of people here mourning the loss of fee-for-service," said Michael Hogan, commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health, referring to the previously dominant model. "But get over that. We are not going back there." Over the next several years, state leaders hope to move all five million Medicaid recipients into managed care. The early focus will be on high-cost, high-need patients, including 150,000 Medicaid patients who account for $7 billion in Medicaid spending. Medicaid patients will be assigned to health homes, but they have the right to opt out or choose another network, said Greg Allen, director of the state Department of Health's financial planning office. Health homes will receive incentive bonuses for keeping their members healthy. The state expects to save $33 million in Medicaid expenditures in the first year by reducing hospitalizations and ER visits. More than 300 providers and mental health advocates spent Wednesday morning learning about health homes at the annual conference of the Mental Health Association in New York State held at the Albany Marriott. Speakers at the event encouraged the audience to embrace the changes. "This is our chance to get it right for patients who have multiple chronic illness or mental health illness," Allen said. Health Homes Many organizations have filed letters of intent with the state indicating they plan to form a home health network. The state plans to approve a few networks in each community. Here is a look at some of the lead organizations that have filed letters in the Capital Region, along with a sampling of their partners. The full list is available on the Department of Health website. Making the List · Visiting Nurses Association of Schenectady and Saratoga County with Ellis Medicine, Hometown Health Centers, CDPHP and MVP Healthcare. · Glens Falls Hospital with Adirondack Medical Services, Hudson Headwaters Health Network and Saratoga Hospital. · Samaritan Hospital Behavioral Health Services with the Rensselaer County Department of Mental Health, Northeast Health Primary Care Network and Seton Primary Care. · Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center with Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's Health Partners, CDPHP and Fidelis. · AIDS Council of Northeastern NY with Albany Medical College's AIDS Treatment Center, Hudson Headwaters, Clearview Center and Four Winds Hospital. · Belvedere Health Services with Ellis Hospital, Samaritan Behavioral Health, and Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc. · ClearView Center with Albany County Mental Health, Albany Medical Center, and Saratoga Hospital. Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc., with Ellis Medicine, Catholic Charities AIDS Services, and Albany Medical Center. The full list of "health homes" is available on the Department of Health website.</blockquote> source: <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Medicaid-health-homes-not-built-2238351.php#ixzz1c6uYvsk9" rel="nofollow">http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Medicaid-health-homes-not-built-2238351.php#ixzz1c6uYvsk9</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-745217 Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:39:48 +0000 whynot_31 745217@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Pending health care reimbursement changes held the potential of getting rid of the weakest hospitals and most inefficient providers. ...not if they merge into a few big providers. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/nyregion/nyc-hospital-groups-continuum-and-nyu-may-ally.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/nyregion/nyc-hospital-groups-continuum-and-nyu-may-ally.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-744189 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:06:41 +0000 whynot_31 744189@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ NY State Gov to towns and cities: Sorry, we won't pick up your share of medicaid. <a href="http://www.lohud.com/article/20111007/NEWS05/110070351/Cuomo-shuns-counties-Medicaid-plea?odyssey=mod" rel="nofollow">http://www.lohud.com/article/20111007/NEWS05/110070351/Cuomo-shuns-counties-Medicaid-plea?odyssey=mod</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-740240 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:48:44 +0000 whynot_31 740240@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Medicare is a different issue. Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-740239 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:44:15 +0000 Boygabriel 740239@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ <a href="http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011083530/raising-medicare-age-8-reasons-its-worst-presidential-bargain-1854">Raising the Medicare Age: 8 Reasons It's the Worst Presidential "Bargain" Since 1854</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-740232 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:16:16 +0000 whynot_31 740232@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ In NYC, 1/3 of residents now receive Medicaid <blockquote>City Medicaid Near Critical Condition By David Seifman New York Post August 31, 2011 The number of city residents qualifying for Medicaid has hit a record that's likely to go even higher next year when enrollment will almost certainly reach the milestone 3 million mark -- or more than 37 percent of the population, officials said yesterday. As of July, a record 2,927,952 people here were getting their health insurance covered by the government. Although the numbers fluctuate slightly from month to month, the annual trend is headed in one direction: up. Five years ago, in July 2006, the city's Medicaid rolls stood at 2,573,610. Robert Doar, commissioner of the city's Human Resources Administration, which oversees Medicaid, said the steady increases are evidence that low-income workers are becoming dependent on the government for medical insurance as more and more employers drop health coverage. "The use of Medicaid as a work support for low-income workers is very much a part of what's going on in the city and the rest of the country as well," Doar said. "We think it's an important expenditure. It allows people to take employment that doesn't provide health insurance." But only those with very low incomes can make the cut. The maximum allowable net income for a family of four is $17,420 a year. Medicaid is no longer the crushing financial burden it once was for the city. Until five years ago, the feds paid 50 percent of the bill, with the state and city splitting the rest down the middle. Starting in 2006, the state capped most of the city's Medicaid cost at 2005 levels, plus a yearly inflation adjustment of about 3 percent. Washington also began picking up a larger part of the tab in late 2008, as part of a federal stimulus package that largely expired in June. As a result, total Medicaid spending in fiscal 2011 came to $28.3 billion in New York City. Washington paid $13.5 billion, the state $10.2 billion and the city $4.6 billion, or little more than 16 percent. But as federal subsidies wind down, the city's bill in the 2012 fiscal year is expected to reach $6 billion. Chuck Brecher at the Citizens Budget Commission noted that the revised formula makes the growing Medicaid rolls a fiscal problem more for the state than the city. "It's the state that's the one getting the squeeze put on," he said. It's also much easier to qualify for Medicaid than for welfare, in which recipients are required under federal law to work for their benefits. As the Medicaid rolls jumped 15,266 between June and July to their highest level ever, the welfare rolls fell to 347,586, lowest since August 2010. Doar is on a state panel examining how to redesign the Medicaid system. He said one issue under discussion is whether the state or city should screen applicants. "To the extent that we no longer determine eligibility, the argument could be made, why are we paying any portion of the cost," said Doar.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_medicaid_near_critical_condition_gXDExUBXUJRS2hAZiXZ2EJ#ixzz1Wbo0C2tL" rel="nofollow">http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_medicaid_near_critical_condition_gXDExUBXUJRS2hAZiXZ2EJ#ixzz1Wbo0C2tL</a> Medicaid Wars (warning: boring) http://brooklynian.com/forum/brooklyn-politics/medicaid-wars-warning-boring#post-731828 Thu, 26 May 2011 09:43:35 +0000 whynot_31 731828@http://brooklynian.com/forum/ Do Not Tinker With Medicaid! Most Americans Say Written by Christian Nordqvist Medical News Today May 25, 2011 The majority of Americans do not want to see any reductions in Medicaid spending and are against the proposed plan to convert the health program to block grant financing in an attempt to reduce the federal deficit, according to a May Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, involving a nationally representative random sample of 1,203 adults. 60% of all the people surveyed want Medicaid to remain as it is - with guaranteed coverage from the federal government and minimum standards set for eligibility and benefits. 35% would like to see states receiving a fixed amount of money from the federal government, with each state deciding what services should be covered and who is covered. Just 13% favor reducing Medicaid spending to bring the deficit down. While 30% say they would accept minor reduction, 53% are against any reductions whatsoever. These poll results may encourage some Washington politicians and discourage others. Washington is in the middle of a fierce debate about Medicare and Medicaid - in fact, any entitlement program is currently under the microscope as a possible avenue for saving money. Approximately half of all US citizens either have a household member or friend who has received Medicaid assistance. Half of those surveyed see Medicaid as important to their family. 20% of adults have had personal coverage experience with Medicaid and they say they are happy with it. Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman, said: "If you watch the debate about the deficit and entitlements, you would think that almost everyone has a problem with the Medicaid program and wants to change it, or cut it - or both. The big surprise in this month's tracking poll is that one group who does not want to cut Medicaid is the American people. With about 69 million people expected to be covered by Medicaid this year, it is no longer the -welfare-linked program it once was. Medicaid may not be the lower-hanging fruit that many who want to reduce federal entitlement spending have assumed it is." Medicaid Experience 51% of all Americans say they have some personal connection to Medicaid 20% have received direct Medicaid help 31% say they have a friend or family member who has received Medicaid assistance 49% describe Medicaid as "very" or "somewhat" important to them and their family 71% of those who favor Medicaid say their main reason is, knowing there is a safety net to protect those on low income. Others feel encouraged knowing that Medicaid is there in case they or a family member need the assistance. Mollyann Brodie, a senior vice president and director of the Public Opinion and Survey Research group at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said: "Medicaid is a complex program that varies considerably from state to state, but the public's initial reaction upon hearing about proposed spending reductions and structural changes is negative. Such concerns reflect the fact that the program is important not only to those who have been directly enrolled in it but those with friends and family who have received Medicaid benefits as well." Medicaid and Private Insurance Personal Experience Ratings 86% of recipients of Medicaid benefits describe their experience as "positive" 45% of recipients of Medicaid benefits describe their experience as "very positive" 89% of private health insurance users describe their experience as "positive" 44% of private health insurance users describe their experience as "very positive" Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid is set to expand. 81% of respondents said that if they were uninsured, needed medical therapy and had no insurance, and also qualified for Medicaid, they would enroll. However, some 32% of those who have ever used Medicaid said that at some point, finding a doctor or health care provider willing to accept Medicaid patients was difficult, versus 12% among those with private insurance cover. <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/226483.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/226483.php</a>