On the recordJuly 6, 2011
I wanted to bring your attention to the front page of USA Today. The story is titled, ``Medicaid Payments Go Under the Knife.'' This is an issue that, unfortunately, is going to continue to get worse. Medicaid isn't just going under the knife; it's being slashed. The simple truth is that Medicaid has become a coverage without access and only an empty promise for the people who arguably may legitimately need its services. And the Affordable Care Act is only going to exacerbate the problem with patient access to physicians. The new health care law has changed what was a program that was designed for the poorest of the poor, pregnant women, children, and the elderly, and turned it into a one-size-fits-all government program. States will add 16 million new people to the program, millions of younger adults, putting an even greater strain on the State budgets. The health care law never addressed the root problem. We need to ensure that Medicaid spending is directed in a fashion that provides an actual safety net for those in need and allows States to create a range of products to give Medicaid patients access to their physicians and better care. We actually need to get back to the basics. And it is essential that we examine Medicaid and realize the ramifications before our States sink even deeper into a budgetary crisis. ____________________
