Michigan Refuses To Control Medicaid Fraud

Michigan could save another $1 Billion if the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit would do something about Medicaid fraud in child welfare.

Report: State could save $1B by expanding Medicaid eligibility

Michigan could save $1 billion over 10 years and provide health insurance to 600,000 residents if it expands Medicaid eligibility as allowed by the national health care reform law, according to a report to be released today.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in June, but one provision was not upheld: penalizing states that opt out of the laws expanding Medicaid.

That means the decision to expand Medicaid eligibility to other residents has been left up to the states. Michigan has not yet made a decision on how to proceed, but some lawmakers have proposed a bill to ban Medicaid expansion.

The report is issued by the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation (CHRT) in collaboration with two University of Michigan economists.

It shows cost savings to Michigan for six years starting in 2014, when states can begin expanding Medicaid eligibility and the federal government will pick up 100 percent of the cost. It also shows a minimal cost to Michigan starting in 2020, when the states pay 10 percent of the cost.

"It's a good economic choice for the state," said Marianne Udow-Phillips, CHRT director. "It's a billion dollars in savings over 10 years." Marianne Udow was former Director of Michigan Department of Human Services.  Not much of  a people person, not much of a public administrator but she can do tech.  I respect her because she knew when to step down.

Medicaid is for residents who fall at or below 138 percent of federal poverty guidelines. Besides the elderly and disabled, those who qualify include low-income people with children. Those who would qualify for the expansion would be low-income residents without children.  Sick people are not highly productive and dead people do not pay taxes.

She added that expansion would also be a benefit for hospitals, which annually provided hundreds of millions of dollars in uncompensated care.

The report comes a month after Sen. Bruce Caswell, R-Pittsford, and three other senators proposed legislation that bans the state from expanding Medicaid.

Reached Sunday, Caswell declined to comment on the report, saying he hasn't read it. But he said he would look at it.

"I am interested in getting insurance to folks in the most cost-effective way that will offer them access, true access," said Caswell. "Medicaid is struggling with that right now. … The purpose of the bill is to engender a conversation about what are other alternatives besides just putting people in Medicaid."  The alternative is to find a politically correct way of promoting the rhetoric of letting people die.

Here is the actual language of the bill.  

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT: SEC. 105C. (1) THE STATE SHALL 1 NOT EXPAND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY TO NONELDERLY INDIVIDUALS WITH INCOME AT OR BELOW 133% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES AS DIRECTED UNDER THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, PUBLIC LAW 111-148. (2) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, "FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES" MEANS THE POVERTY GUIDELINES PUBLISHED ANNUALLY IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES UNDER ITS AUTHORITY TO REVISE THE POVERTY LINE UNDER SECTION 673(2) OF SUBTITLE B OF TITLE VI OF THE OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT OF 1981, 42 USC 9902.

For those who do not know the expansion of Medicaid will cover more than health insurance.  It will provide job training, housing assistance, and education, all of which will be by the expansions of jobs and contracts to provide these services so people will no longer need assistance of Medicaid and will be able to pay more into the system when jobs, better jobs, are secured.

The report also comes as Gov. Rick Snyder's administration is studying Medicaid expansion, but has not yet made a decision on the issue.

"Gov. Snyder is very interested in short-, mid- and long-range projections, and he and the team are still closely analyzing the impacts and ramifications of any decision," said Sara Wurfel, Snyder's spokeswoman. "We're working hard to evaluate the options that will help determine the best course of action that provides protection and security for Michiganders." Best course of action is to end Medicaid fraud.

The ACA’s Medicaid Expansion: Michigan Impact State Budgetary Estimates and Other Impacts Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©