A preliminary audit of the state’s Medicaid rates released on March 1 determined that they were “actuarially sound.” That’s the finding that Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson repeatedly stressed during a phone call with reporters the day the report was released.
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Feds’ Medicaid investigation: Many questions, few answers
Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson set off a potential landmine last week when she revealed that the federal government is investigating the state’s Medicaid program. Roughly 600,000 poor people receive medical coverage through the program with the state and federal government splitting the $7B tab.
Read More »Strib overstates impact of Pawlenty exec order by 99,900 percent (or so)
If you only read the first paragraph of the Wednesday page one Strib story about Gov. Tim Pawlenty's executive order on federal health care money, you could be excused for thinking something actually happened.
Read More »Capitol clinic protests for universal health care
A coalition that advocates for a single-payer health insurance system set up a “free clinic” outside Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s office on Tuesday.
Read More »HCMC is latest to reject misbegotten GAMC ‘fix’
Officials at Hennepin County Medical Center have reportedly rejected the "coordinated care organization" contract proffered by the state Department of Human Services in conjunction with the much-maligned General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) compromise bill passed by the Legislature earlier this session.
Read More »Pawlenty, DFL wrangle over how to fund public health care programs
Slightly more than three weeks ago, on March 26, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a compromise bill that kept alive the general assistance medical care (GAMC) program.
Read More »Federal health overhaul: There’s gold in that there bill
The 2,400 page federal health care bill will likely take state budget officials months to parse thoroughly. Nobody knows at this point exactly how much money will will ultimately trickle down to Minnesota's coffers. But it seems highly likely that additional potential revenue streams will be discovered as the legislation is reviewed.
Read More »Federal health bill’s impact on Minnesota budget far from clear — but…
It will be some time before anyone at the Capitol complex can claim an authoritative grasp of what the new federal laws mean for Minnesota's near- and long-term general fund budget troubles. But in the meantime, legislative fiscal analysts suggest the truth is different from the early claims of both Democrats and Republicans.
Read More »GOP pols step up attacks on federal health care bill
State GOP pols don't want the federal health care proposal to wash up on Minnesota's shores. DFLers in the Legislature, however, said there's $3 billion in reasons the state needs the bill to pass.
Read More »Overheard at the Capitol: GAMC fix is a quarter of a loaf, but…
"It really depends on how you look at it," one lobbyist sighed. "It's true that the cuts are huge. But as a provider, I'm looking at getting a quarter of a loaf when the plate is empty otherwise. I'm getting enough to eat and survive for the next 15 months."
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