Jackson Jambalaya

Surely to be replaced by some guy from Rankin County that will slash costs and use a lot of conservative jargon. And give a giant contract to MHA.

Phil will probably appoint Marshal Fisher

Did Fisher catch Phil with a live boy or a dead girl?

Randy Easterling will be a great executive director.

Allowing an MD to run DOM would be equivalent to appointing a rat to guard the cheese

9:56 you must not really know Randy. If you did you would know that he thinks he is the smartest man in the world. Pompousness isn’t one of the top qualifications for Medicaid Director.

@9:56 Randy you can’t nominate yourself.

Randy Easterling will be a great executive director.

In another state.

Maybe feel will hire a medicaid successor who doen’t try to bow down to influential stakeholders ( like docs and hospitals and managed care companies ) and just tries to run a decent agency within the means given to that person. just pick a clown that is dumb enough to think that taxpayers matter more than lobbyists and hope it works.

Curious....Easterling's Facebook page says he is a Dokter. Is that a typo or is that some sort of insider reference I just don't get?

Rest assured that this will somehow result in MississippiCAN getting canned and a new contract awarded to the MHA favored provider. Becky Currie and Brice Wiggins....remember to go check their campaign finance forms when it happens.

Forced out? Or just gave up because he is tired of fighting the madness?

What makes a person write such a glowing resignation letter as opposed to burning the place down on the way out? ie, how much did it cost taxpayers for him to "resign"? I'm betting there was some severence involved.

From the Clarion article by Anna Wolfe or is it Wolf?


"Dzielak had ran Medicaid, which has a federal budget larger than the entire state budget..."

Maybe he 'had ran' it too long. The entire agency is a train-wreck dedicated to keeping as many irresponsible, incompetent, lack-luster, unprofessional JSU grads on payroll as possible. But PERS will rescue them all, eventually.

2:10 - I'll take your bet on severance (spelled correctly). Please note the last time you know of that an agency head got a severance package. That doesn't include contractual obligations.

(I guess now we can look for Lynn Fitch to be cycled through this job too.)

and another domino falls.

Ol' Feel started the gutting of Medicaid and he's expecting Triple Cheese Tater Thot to finish it off once elected

damn shame those two do not like the citizens in their own states

ol' well

Mikula next??? The state can only hope!

“
Maybe he 'had ran' it too long. The entire agency is a train-wreck dedicated to keeping as many irresponsible, incompetent, lack-luster, unprofessional JSU grads on payroll as possible. But PERS will rescue them all, eventually.”

Irresponsible. Racist. Ignorant. Insolent. Don’t jump to conclusions when you don’t know facts.

I'm almost 100% sure that Dzielak was pushed out because he wouldn't get on board with this purely political garbage to screen out people and shrink the rolls.

There's this prevalent myth out there that there are tons and tons of people receiving food stamps, welfare, and free health care that don't deserve it. In addition to being a complete falsehood, here are some other thoughts on that: SNAP money is 100% federal dollars, so the MS taxpayer pays virtually nothing and in return millions in federal money flows to MS to keep grocery stores in business that in turn employ thousands of hardworking people. Medicaid money is, what, 70% federal money? How many hospitals, doctors, and nurses in MS depend on Medicaid to stay in business? I would guess most of them. These programs keep the lights on this impoverished state people. They fund the paychecks of hardworking Mississippians.

Also, MS does very very well in determining eligibility for these programs. The feds collect that data. The metrics are out there. We're letting right-wing talking points eclipse actual information on this issue, folks.

We can continue to improve the MS economy, and as we do so, lessen our reliance on these programs. I think that's something we can all agree on. But throwing up arbitrary obstacles to enrollment to save federal money and hurt our economy, all to score political points for Feel, Tater, et al, is just completely absurd.

11:33 - So happens I DO know the facts. I waded through at least fifteen of these incompetent, high-level, over-paid women at the 55 frontage office over a period of almost four years. But, of course I'm an ignorant racist for pointing it out.

100% agree with 8:44 and 90% agree with 12:54

He was pushed out because MHA did not win the managed care contract. He fought moving eligibility to DHS and that was used as a smoke screen, but the first thing Medicaid will do is award a third managed care contract to the MHA aligned firm.

The first sign that elected officials had no clue was when Bryant eliminated continuing ed for professional employees. That is .00000001% of the deficit, but it sounds great in the media.

Follow the money. See who gets contracts going forward. See who gets campaign contributions.

There's this prevalent myth out there that there are tons and tons of people receiving food stamps, welfare, and free health care that don't deserve it. In addition to being a complete falsehood ...

So, therefore, you can prove your claim, right?

12:54 - interesting analysis, because you take the normal tact for many that since it is federal dollars it doesn't cost Mississippians anything. Obviously the April 15th filing reports and attached checks don't affect you - just as it doesn't affect those that you are noting are adding to our economy.

The majority of the people on Medicaid are poor, white Trump voters

This had nothing to do with MHA or MCOs. This was about an Agency head that gone off the reservation. He was actually thrown under the bus by his CFO, Margaret King, and a secret contractor, one guy, Heartsill, with a sole source $300,000 contract to do half her work for her.

Alabama and Arkansas had lower growth rates in cost and had NO managed care. The agency was supposed to hire an "INDEPENDENT" contractor to evaluate and report to Legislature. Instead they gave a sole source add-on to the co tractor with more co tracts than any other at DOM. MYERS & STAUFFER. They cannot afford for the truth to get out.

"The majority of the people on Medicaid are poor, white Trump voters."

I know you get tired of hearing this, but....."LINK?"

What's wrong with being poor and white? What's the point?

Anonymous said...
11:33 - So happens I DO know the facts. I waded through at least fifteen of these incompetent, high-level, over-paid women at the 55 frontage office over a period of almost four years. But, of course I'm an ignorant racist for pointing it out.

Those are not facts, sir. They are speculative supposition based on remote observations. Nothing more, nothing less. If you have evidence, then provide your name, and you will be protected by the Whistleblower law. If you do not, then you have no facts to give. Anything else is an indulgence of ignorance no matter how you spin your nonresponse. What say you? (And no childish return challenges that most educated people see through).

Well said 8:49.... same goes for 7:15/7:18 (obviously the same person) easy to throw out names and or “facts” when remaining anonymous... care to give your your name as well?

All while neither 8:49 nor 9:54 provide their name. Didn't provide mine out of spite

"They are speculative supposition based on remote observations."

8:49 - You know not of what you speak. First hand experience can hardly be 'remote observation'. I have at hand a virtual spiral-bound notebook full of notes, comments, quotes, violations of law, inaccurate interpretations of regulations and flat out lies told to me by a District Director, two supervisors and at least three 'front line workers' in the 55 office.

'Provide my name' to whom? Some anonymous keyboard jockey on a blog site? It also appears you are too ignorant to know that 'whistle-blower' laws do not apply to operations of state agencies in Mississippi. However, I need no protection from anybody. I had a file ready to fire off to the Director but he's been fired. It would never have made it to his desk anyway. I once asked the District Director to tell me the name and address of the head of the Medicaid Agency and she refused to do so, even once telling me she didn't know his name. Incompetence - Top to Bottom!

I will give you this one example and leave you to your pompous ridicule: I have it in writing from two Medicaid Supervisors that once a ruling of income-based eligibility is issued, the applicant will not be allowed again to produce later evidence of 'spend down' or future eligibility - once a ruling is made, that's it. I also have the dates and times of those same statements being made to me. That is a flat out lie and counter to their own policy. Blatant misrepresentation of the policy. Incompetence at its worst.

What the heck - I'll give you this as well: I have it in writing from an eligibility worker that she was told by her supervisor to NOT respond to my letter to the agency or my questions regarding policy and procedure. How's that for incompetence and employees who should be fired?

This agency has one goal: Perpetuating the cranking out of illegitimate children and ensuring that they receive monthly checks on a timely basis. They view the rest of the agency's legally mandated responsibilities as cumbersome obstacles.

And any self-serving return comments from you serve only to remind the readers that you are deep into your employment at this agency, waddling up and down the hall mumbling about your upcoming PERS retirement.

@ December 16, 2017 at 8:44 AM

Mikula actually has a clue about whats going on at her agency. But you can only do the best you can with what the state legislature appropriates to your agency. Can't fault her for living within the means the state legislature gives you.

She does not have Carte Blanche to run the MS Department of Mental Health.

The legislature appropriates the dollars and you can only do what you can with what THEY give you.

Yet another attack by Feel on the working poor of our State.

Some of you are unaware of how bad the current under 40 workforce is. If Medicade is having the same problem as our office then people are not following up on the recipients as required by law. I Recently got rid of a 44 year old employee after 10 weeks that said "I only want to do one thing, not learn anything else like my old job at another office". This was a starting $40,000 job. Most of you don't understand how the new employees think. Motivation is the problem on Medicade workers and beneficiaries. Do a good job and you will get paid and advance. Turn off your cell phone till lunch.

7:52 am - Ignorance who’s hiding his identity. I agree with the other person. Whistleblower laws do apply to state personnel sir or madam.

12:50 - It really doesn't matter that you 'agree with the other person' or that you incorrectly believe the Federal Whistle blower Protection Act applies to members of the public who are dissatisfied with the operation of state government agencies.

The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, enforced by OSHA, prohibits reprisal. It is unlawful for federal agencies to take or threaten to take a personnel action against an employee because he or she disclosed wrongdoing.

Keywords here for your education are: Federal. Employees. OSHA. The federal act has nothing to do with the public.

I would like to comment on 12:50 but I don’t want to give this guy any more time than he’s had. Obviously sad, uneducated individual who does nothing but read boards all day. Those other folks are correct.