Saturday, January 23, 2021

Medicaid Mudfight

 Will the Governor continue to run Medicaid? Smarting from a humiliating loss to the Governor in court, Mississippi House of Representatives Pro-Tem Trey Lamar wants to take the Division of Medicaid away from the Governor. 

Mr. Lamar filed HB #1013.  The bill creates a Medicaid Commission to run the agency.  The bill states in the very first section: 

The commission shall consist of seven (7) members, with three (3) members appointed by the Governor and four (4) members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.  All initial and later appointments to the commission shall be with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The Speaker is allowed to recommend two nominations to the Lieutenant Governor.  The House leadership is trying to get cute.  The Mississippi Constitution prohibits the Speaker of the House from appointing such members so they are trying to sneak control through the Lieutenant Governor.   

Highlights of the bill are: 

* All members must have expertise in healthcare or Medicaid issues.  At least 1 Governor appointee and 2 Lieutenant Governor appointees can not have any financial interest in a provider of Medicaid services.  (KF: Just three members?)

* The Governor appoints one Commissioner from each Supreme Court district. 

* You won't believe this one:
 

 Supreme Court district as constituted on January 1, 2021, and the  Lieutenant Governor shall appoint one (1) member from each congressional district as constituted on January 1, 2021.

After all the brouhaha in the medical marijuana fight, these clowns still insist on using the same language at issue in that controversy.  Don't be surprised if Mayor Mary uses this as further proof the Legislature knew of the problem and chose not to fix it.  You can't make this up. 

 *  Members get a per diem for "each day spent actually discharging their duties." 

* Commission appoints the Executive Director.  The Director can not have served in the legislature for the previous three years.

*  A new Executive Director will not be appointed until the one holding office on July 1, 2021 vacates the position of on January 1, 2024, whichever is earlier. 

Y'all Politics reported Mr. Lamar said the Commission would give an six extra pairs of eyeballs to watch Medicaid.  He justified the bill, stating a $6 billion budget is too large to be overseen by only one person. 

 

 

Kingfish note:  The Street Committee says there is going to be a move to cut the Supreme Court's budget this year.   Now why would the Solons in the capitol pull that stunt? 

This is a bad bill, period.  It shifts more power to the Legislature and reduce accountability.  Too many agencies are governed by boards.  The result is a collection of little fiefdoms unaccountable to no one, right, Mr. Barry?  

 House members spoiled for a fight with the Governor last year.  It was no secret they were looking for a bill to ram down his throat.  They did so and the Governor exercised a line item veto of sorts.  They sued the Governor and wound up embarrassing themselves when they suffered a huge defeat.  Apparently they want a rematch. 

 Stay tuned. 

 

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lamar is smarting over the kickdown by the Supreme Court over his lawsuit, which was also a personal kickdown of his family fiefdom in Tate County.

The vetoed appropriation was $2 million that Tate County had to pay to be able to "Sell" its hospital - under the guise that this was an appropriat COVID expenditure even though the hospital had been closed for over two years. And Mr Lamar (daddy) being the attorney handling this transaction certainly didn't pose a conflict with Pro-Tem Lamar trying to get him the money.

Now Lamar wants to claim that this is a good move because "this is the way they used to do it" excuse. Back in the 70's Medicaid was run by a Commission. Guess Rep Lamar thinks that the state sould return to the 70's in its operations, that all these moves into the future have been bad for it governance.

Along with the sidestep move of trying to give the Speaker appointment power that is not allowed, diverting it to the Lt Gov appointing the Speaker's recommendations. Guess they want another shot with Taggart at the podium over at the Gartin Building trying to explain this constitutional dodge.

It's Only Money. Reel It In! said...

Perhaps related or not...I've noticed the commercials paid for by the Taxpayers on Supertalk...specifically those from The State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. These directors must turnover every seven to ten months. Always a different Executive Director touting his title and rambling on about the agency with three to five spots during the day, every day!

Why the hell do these people need to waste taxpayer money running paid commercials on the Republican Radio Network of Mississippi.

Reminds me of all the ads for elected officials appearing over there on the right hand side of the page on this blog.

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to the separation of powers doctrine about passing laws and being on the board to carry out the law.

Anonymous said...

This is an attempt to let the fox in the hen house. This was written by the medical lobby. Trey is just the mule. Just like the uproar over MM was a sham financed by big pharma. The hospital association and big pharma write all healthcare legislation. Always have. Pay to play.

Anonymous said...

Rest assured they have the next director picked out. This bill was custom written for him/her. But they had the courtesy to allow the current dude to get his high four before he returns to private practice.

Queue the obvious PERS abuse.

Anonymous said...

Phil Bryant behind the curtain?

Anonymous said...

@4:38 PM drops by (again) to share their tired animus AND YET reads here, comments here and spends enough time listening to Supertalk to critique state advertising running there.

Anonymous said...

This is a law Baptist can really get behind. Only three members without a vested interest in Medicaid payments? Sounds legit.

Greasy Palms Sez said...

Quid pro quo. Follow da money. Fucking criminals (allegedly?).

Anonymous said...

The smackdown was also quite likely a slap to Ann's oh-so-sweet, innocent little face, his mother - a former Supreme Court member. The Lamar name is a stain on Mississippi - not the stuff of legend anymore if you look up the history. The present Supremes were probably shocked that she would even allow such a case to come forward when she full well knew the conflicts of interest she posed just sitting around the kitchen table with her family. Arrogance personified.

As first poster said, yes - it appears the Lamars would like to take Mississippi at least back to the 1970s. There's no question little Trey's parent weighed in on his involvement in this power grab. It's disgraceful. There is no mystery when it comes to seeing who exactly would like to keep Mississippi in the past. The Lamars days are long gone, and the family should acknowledge the untold amount of racist, murderous blood that is on their ancestor's hands.

Anonymous said...

Mr Lamar is building up quite the track record of a big government, anti-freedom elite.

Anonymous said...

As always, check the campaign finance reports to see who authors his bills.

Anonymous said...

I'd go in the opposite direction. All state agencies should be under the Governor. How can you hold education, transportation, and health (to name a few) accountable when it is controlled by commissions appointed by multiple elected leaders. Bring them under one roof and if we don't see improvements then throw him or her out every four years. This isn't that hard.

Anonymous said...

Lamar is a big ole baby.

Anonymous said...

Bryant tried to move Mental Health away from a board led structure.

The Senate killed it.

Anonymous said...

SIGH...
When vying for party power isn't available, the party in power cannibalizes itself.

The notion of good government never occurs to those trying to further their own interests.

Anonymous said...

Trey Lamar voted for Joe Biden

After he voted for Jim Hood

Anyone notice a pattern?

Anonymous said...

@9:29am You're description outlines why Mississippi is the most corrupt state in the nation on a daily basis. Doing the work of "the people" is the last thing on elected leaders minds.....it's handing out "positions" on those bullshit boards for favors that lead to placing other connected pieces of shit in jobs based on who they know, and not what they know. No mystery as to why Mississippi lags at the bottom - the people's business ain't getting done...and families like the Lamars are at the center of it. Lt. Gov. Douchebert Hosemann should put a stop to it, but he benefits from selected shenanigans like the rest of the insiders.

Anonymous said...

I never understood why medicaid was in the governor's office. It should be its own department ran by a board of medical experts.

Anonymous said...

Political leaders = political appointees = political management and patronage = disaster

Anonymous said...

2:52 my point is that "the people" would have a clear direction to point their dissatisfaction every four years if all the major agencies were under the Governor. Just like a banana republic, we need a benevolent dictator to get things in order. The way it is now, they just blame each other and the people get confused as to who to blame.

Or we can just keep doing the same thing. It's fine. Everything is fine.

Offers Tin Foil to 8:12 said...

"@4:38 PM drops by (again) to share their tired animus AND YET reads here, comments here and spends enough time listening to Supertalk to critique state advertising running there."

And you (8:12) have a problem with this corrupt relationship being, once again, exposed? Let me know when you can come up with an explanation as to why a state agency needs to advertise.

Anonymous said...

Lamar is chair of ways and means. White is pro temp. Current Medicaid director has done a good job holding the line on ever increasing Medicaid costs. No need for a change. But this is the year for the “Medicaid tech” bill. That means lobbyists from every conceivable health care entity will be working the leadership be included in the bill to get paid by those Medicaid dollars. When the bill passes - not even the committee chairs will know or be able to explain half of what is in the bill. The minute details of Mississippi’s Medicaid program should be hashed out by medical experts and adopted as administrative regs - not enacted into law every three years by the legislature. We are one of the very few - possibly only state that uses this ridicules procedure.

Anonymous said...

The "people" have no clue as to what the three branches of government are supposed to actually be doing....and in Mississippi, they've perverted these roles so much (and used their friends in the judiciary to cover for them), fingers get pointed in every direction, but the idiot "people" vote for whoever they see the face of in ads the most often - oh, and the majority of local media also provide cover from their bullshit in order to cash in on those ads and continued access to the moron "leaders".

Anonymous said...

@ 7:14pm No, Phil's man is still in charge there.

Anonymous said...

I have seen just how great Mississippi government can be for the well connected and how useless it can be for people who work for a living. The difference in wind damage and flood damage is greatly determined by who someone knows. Those who have key positions with wealthy corporate owners that support Republican candidates can quickly get checks to make them happy while those who drive trucks and repair presses at the same business are left to look to bankruptcy courts as their only way to avoid living in a tent in their yard while paying off their mortgage in hopes of rebuilding.

Anonymous said...

Mississippi's "government" is merely an organized crime syndicate that pretty much extorts money from the taxpayers. Speak up, and you will be economically assassinated. Shad White the auditor over-relies on whistleblowers as cover.....he knows where the money trail are that are hidden from sight, yet fund the corruption. The ONLY thing that makes it all possible is billions in Federal dollars that are a giant slush fund to keep the chaos going, and the money rolling in for the connected....remove that, and no one would likely run for office, and MS would be bankrupt.


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