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Protect Medicaid Funding in Lansing
State Legislature Now Working on the 2007 State
Medicaid Budget
In Lansing, Gov. Jennifer
Granholm recently released the fiscal year (FY)
2007 executive budget proposal, which is now
before the state Senate Appropriations
Committee. The governor’s proposed budget did
not contain any reductions to Medicaid provider
payment rates, graduate medical education or
disproportionate share hospital line items.
The budget also assumes a continuation of the
quality assurance assessment program hospital
provider tax. Additional funding was added to
account for increases in the Medicaid caseload
and utilization of services.
However, the FY 2007
Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH)
budget included several provisions that require
further evaluation by the MHA. The executive
budget would increase the hospital tax and fund
the payments through the state’s Medicaid health
maintenance organizations (HMOs). The MHA is
closely examining this proposal, which is subject
to federal approval. Second, the MHA continues
to oppose the proposal to process hospital
graduate medical education funds through the
HMOs.
Although debate
on the budget has already begun in the state
Senate, the Medicaid budget has a long way to
go before final passage. Mike Duggan,
president & CEO, Detroit Medical Center,
recently presented the MHA's areas of concern on
the budget to the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Community Health, chaired by
Sen. Tony Stamas (R-Midland). The Senate is
projected to pass the MDCH budget by mid-to-late
March and then transmit it to the state House of
Representatives for consideration.
The MHA is working
with Gov. Granholm and state legislative
leadership to protect Medicaid funding and the
health care safety net for all Michigan
residents. For our advocacy efforts to
succeed, the governor and lawmakers need to hear
from you, too! Please contact your
state senator TODAY to deliver these simple
messages:
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We urge you to
oppose any cuts to Medicaid for the sake of
Michigan children and families, the elderly
and the disabled.
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We urge you to
maintain current hospital funding and
programs in an effort to protect affordable
health care for all Michigan
residents.
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We urge you to
restore recent cuts to graduate medical
education funding to ensure a stable
physician workforce for the future.
The following tools
will assist you in contacting your state
senator:
To locate your state
senator, go to our
Legislative Action Center and select My
Elected Officials. For instructions on how to
use the action center,
click here.
If you have any
questions, please contact
Lori Latham, director, political affairs,
Advocacy, at the MHA. Thank you for your
attention to this important issue. |
