The Future of Medicaid is NOT in Good HandsCompiled by Don McCanne, Quote of the Day Newsletter
Reuters
May 13, 2005
Medicaid commission draws unusual interest
By Julie Rovner
When it comes to the Medicaid health program for the poor, the question in Washington has moved from whether to cut the program to how.
Six Republican and six Democratic senators wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt earlier this week, urging that he turn the entire enterprise over to the nonpartisan Institute of Medicine.
That, however, is apparently not what the administration has in mind. Leavitt said Wednesday he is moving "rapidly" to establish the commission, which sources say he will appoint himself rather than delegate the task to the IoM.
(Source)
And...
The New York Times
May 12, 2005
New Panel Will Study Medicaid With Eyes Toward Big Changes
By Robert Pear
The commission will have up to 15 voting members and 18 nonvoting members. The voting members will all be appointed by Michael O. Leavitt, the secretary of health and human services. Mr. Leavitt rejected bipartisan Congressional pleas for an independent commission under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences.
(Source)
And...
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report
May 10, 2005
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), speaking on the Senate floor before the budget was approved, said Leavitt will appoint the commission in a manner that "represent[s] a broad range of ideas and points of view." He added that the commission will be "a fair and balanced forum to discuss the needs and challenges of the Medicaid system."
(Source)
Comment by Don McCanne: The decision has already been made that the underfunded Medicaid program will be cut further. The process will be personally supervised by HHS Secretary Leavitt rather than being submitted to a highly credible, independent source: the Institute of Medicine. Secretary Leavitt's decision is particularly alarming since he has a track record on his approach to reducing Medicaid spending. When he was governor of Utah, he eliminated coverage for hospitalization and specialized services.
But we have the assurances of the Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Bill Frist, that the commission will be "fair and balanced." It is ironic that Dr. Frist chose the "registered trademark" phrase of Fox News. Since "Fair and Balanced" has been reduced to a mere trademark label, it seems that this absolves Fox from being either fair or balanced.
The question is, does Dr. Frist believe that this absolves Secretary Leavitt from the responsibility of being fair and balanced? Or is he acknowledging, tongue-in-cheek, that the whole process is a farce and cannot lead to constructive change? Unfortunately, based on his own track record, it appears that Dr. Frist is supporting an unfair and imbalanced process that portends a bleak future for Medicaid patients.
