Jackson Jambalaya

Wouldn't you know it. First the Barbour administration files its proposed cuts to the Medicaid budget JUST before the close of business on Friday. No details were provided as The Clarion-Ledger reported: "Documents outlining the cuts were filed with the secretary of state's office just before 5 p.m. Friday, and neither Barbour's staff nor Medicaid officials provided details..." http://search.clarionledger.com/sp?eId=100&gcId=26368108&rNum=4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clarionledger.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D2008807120355&siteIdType=2

There is no doubt the Barbour administration knew exactly what it was doing when it filed these documents so that it would catch the part of the news cycle that receives the least attention from the public (and had the added bonus of depriving opponents of the cuts a chance to study them during the weekend). One would think that these cuts would be made available on the Department of Medicaid's website. They were available for a short time Monday. http://www.dom.state.ms.us/ErrorPage.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/MsStatePlan.aspx

However, after the link was posted on yallpolitics.com, the link no longer works (and hasn't since Monday) as DOM's website says there is a website problem when one tries to access the page listing the planned budget cuts. Coincidence? Only a fool would believe such to be the case.

Luckily, JJ has a copy of the planned cuts concerning therapy services provided to Medicaid patients. Click on the link and select the Medicaid document: http://groups.google.com/group/jackson-jambalaya/files?upload=1&&sort=name
This particular proposed plan will cut the money paid for therapy services by ten percent. The proposed cuts are only $300,000 out of a budget shortfall of $90.000,000.

Therapy services. Not a sexy topic. Disabled kids. Children that have problems hearing or talking. Families burdened with children and unable to work more to stay off the public dole because day care won't accept children with disabilities. Occupational therapy that can help people support themselves so they DON'T cost the taxpayers any more money. Therapy is not a cost, its an investment as it will help those who need it improve to the point where they require less help and money from their families and the state.

What the Lilliputians in the Barbour administration fail to realize is that therapy services are a question of paying now or later. Medicaid has two choices. It can pay for the patient to have therapy services early on when the chances for any improvement are the greatest and require less care in the future OR it can pay later after the patient probably has not improved and is permanently disabled. Thus, the $300,000 the Barbour administration claims it will save by cutting the money paid for such services will cost the state MUCH more in the long run as treatment is withheld.

Unfortunately, one shouldn't be too surprised at these tactics by the Governor as he appointed a Medicaid Director who was not qualified by law to run the department as well as a Deputy Director (Moody, who since retired) who was not qualified for his position under the statute as well. Unfortunately, Medicaid has been the stepchild of the Barbour administration and the legislature for quite some time. One would be remiss in letting Speaker McCoy off of the hook as he refuses to compromise with the Governor and is more interested in winning this game of chicken.

Think all Medicaid patients are lazy bums who try to sponge off of the rest of us? I personally know of one family who has two children who are sight-impaired (glaucoma). Get a job you say? Well, the father is in the damn military overseas protecting the sorry asses of these REMF's and perfumed princes on Capitol Street while his wife cares for their children and needs Medicaid for the therapy provided to her kids. Yes, she would love to get out and get a job but when you have two kids who can't see, that makes it rather hard to do so. However, the solution here is to simply cut off hard-working families like this one because two egomaniacs in state government can't get along and the other person in state government who could make a difference shows no backbone. A pox on all of their houses.

Also, health care "providers" (What a nice way to dehumanize the people who truly do care for those who need it, unlike the bureaucrats who picked this name for them.) do NOT make much profit, if any, off of Medicaid. For example, a typical visit for therapy earns the clinic a profit of less than five dollars after all expenses (and I mean real expenses, not some owner padding his salary and calling it an expense) are paid. Most "providers" accept Medicaid patients because they truly want to help those in need, not because they are trying to rip off the state.

What these cuts will do is merely force more "providers" to simply stop accepting Medicaid patients as they decide it is not worth the hassle or expense. It won't be the Republicans, the Democrats, or to some degree, even the "providers" who will suffer, it will be thousands of Mississippians who suddenly have no access to health care due to the food fight of the REMF's.

Earlier posts on Medicaid:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-medicaid-malarkey.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/06/more-medicaid-malarky.html