The federal government might soon cut back the amount of money it gives Missouri’s Medicaid program. President Bush proposes to cut a provision of the Medicaid program to ease pressure on the federal budget. The proposal would cut the state’s ability to generate federally-matched funds. Dwight Fine with the Missouri Hospital Association says this cut would be drastic. The cut would come from a change in the safe harbor provision, which allows the state to tax health care providers, and then direct the money to funds the federal government would then match. Currently, 6% of the state’s funds can come from such taxes, but the proposed cut would drop that to 3%. Representatives with the hospital association have traveled to Washington to lobby against the change. Fine says the trip seemed successful. He hopes those talks will bring the point home.
Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Could Cut Missouri Medicaid
by admin | Aug 1, 2006 | Business, Health / Medicine, Politics / Govt | 0 comments