Partnership For Medicaid Urges Health Reform Efforts To Continue

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 29 Jan 2010 - 1:00 PDT

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The Partnership for Medicaid, a national coalition of health care, local government, and labor organizations, today applauded the work of pro-health care reform lawmakers and urged them to continue their push for comprehensive legislation.

At a Capitol Hill briefing today, the Partnership for Medicaid stressed that during these tough economic times and lengthy period of high unemployment, millions more lower-income and disabled Americans depend on the Medicaid system for their health care. The non-partisan coalition - an alliance of 18 organizations representing doctors, health care providers, Medicaid-focused health plans, counties, and labor - praised Congress' recognition of the importance of Medicaid when it voted to expand the program significantly in both the House and Senate health care reform bills.

"Achieving real health care reform must remain a top priority," said Margaret A. Murray, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), a member of the Partnership. "Expanding Medicaid must be a core part of reform. It builds on a proven program that can serve millions more people who need reform the most. Today we heard from those who know the program best, providers, beneficiaries, and key lawmakers."

Speaking at the briefing today were three congressional champions of Medicaid, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) Presentations were also made by representatives of four health care associations, as well as the mother of a child with special needs who relies on Medicaid.

The Partnership for Medicaid urged Congress and the administration to:

- expand Medicaid eligibility to include more low income Americans and families, as both the House- and Senate-passed reform bills would do;

- improve provider and health plan reimbursement rates;

- address fraud and abuse, and

- preserve the federal guarantee of Medicaid coverage, services and consumer protections.

These are among the Partnership for Medicaid's 14 core principles adopted a year ago to ensure that Medicaid continues its vital role as a strong safety net for vulnerable Americans.

The Partnership for Medicaid congressional briefing was entitled, "The State of Medicaid: Protecting and Improving America's Safety Net as Health Care is Reformed."

Representing the Partnership were Dr. Rhonique Harris from The National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director, American Public Health Association, and Dan Hawkins, senior vice president of programs and policy, National Association of Community Health Centers. Thomas Johnson, chair of the Partnership for Medicaid and president and CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America, moderated the event.

Members of the coalition, individually and together, have been working with Congress to help shape critical Medicaid provisions in the House and Senate health care reform bills.

"The Partnership for Medicaid is grateful for how far Congress has come in reforming health care in America," Johnson said. "The job is not finished. We must continue to work together to make real reform a reality, especially for those who need it the most, low-income Americans who can benefit from an expansion of Medicaid. We believe that investments in Medicaid are investments in public health care.

"We intend to continue to work toward solidifying access and quality for all Medicaid enrollees by promoting fair payment for all Medicaid providers, ensuring that safety net providers are adequately reimbursed in the Medicaid program," Johnson said. "Preserving access to care for all Medicaid enrollees will ensure improvements in the health of our public."

The organizations who adopted the recommendations are as follows: the American Dental Association; the American Health Care Association; the American Public Health Association; the Association for Community Affiliated Plans; the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved; the Easter Seals; the Medicaid Health Plans of America; the National Association of Children's Hospitals; the National Association of Community Health Centers; the National Association of Counties; the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems; the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare; and the National Rural Health Association.

Source
Association for Community Affiliated Plans

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