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Defending Our Freedom: State Medicaid Budget Struggles i... http://defendingourfreedom2010.blogspot.com/2010/02/stat...

T H U R S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 0

State Medicaid Budget Struggles in Kentucky, Florida,

Georgia
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2010/February/18/Medicaid-
Budgets.aspx

Lawmakers Struggle To Find Solutions As Medicaid Programs Swell State

Budget Gaps

Feb 18, 2010

The (Louisville) Courier-Journal: "Passport Health Plan, often praised for its
efficiency as Kentucky's only Medicaid managed care venture, costs the
state far more per person than the state's regular Medicaid program ... The
assertion was made in a five-page letter sent Tuesday by state Medicaid
Commissioner Elizabeth Johnson — and strongly disputed by Passport
officials — to the staff of the House budget committee. The panel is
considering an expansion of the Passport approach as one of many ways to
save money to help plug a $1.5 billion revenue shortfall in the 2010-12 state
budget" (Loftus, 2/17).

Associated Press/BusinessWeek: "With Medicaid costs now consuming 26

percent of Florida's budget, the upcoming session seems primed for a
program overhaul. But legislators will tackle the issue amid a foundering pilot
program, a class-action Medicaid lawsuit that could cost the state millions, all
while waiting to see if and how a federal health bill will affect the state"
(Kennedy, 2/17). Meanwhile, "a budget 'priority list' in the [florida] House
Health Care Appropriations Committee identifies possible reductions that
would amount to an overall 29 percent cut in mental health services
statewide, according to the Ft. Myers News-Press (Gluck, 2/17).

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: "Hospital officials turned out in force at the
state Capitol on Wednesday to oppose Gov. Sonny Perdue's proposed
hospital tax, saying they preferred a tobacco tax to fill a massive Medicaid
shortfall. … They called it a 'sick tax' and a 'bed tax.' They called it lots of
nasty names, asserting that the 1.6 percent tax on patient revenues could
increase health care costs, prompt job losses and postpone hospital
improvements" (Schneider, 2/17).

P O ST ED BY AM BE R F R ID A AT 9 : 2 0 A M
LA B ELS: F LO R I D A, GE OR G IA, G OV ER NOR S ON N Y P E RD U E,
K EN T UCKY, ME D IC A ID, STAT E B U D G E T C U TS

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