[NFBMT] From the Disability Rights Montana Newsletter: Medicaid Cuts

[Bruce&Joy Breslauer]

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has
proposed substantial cuts to Medicaid providers to address the cuts required
by bills passed during the 2017 legislative session. DPHHS has claimed that
an across the board cut to Medicaid provider rates of 3.47% is required by
legislation passed in the last days of the 2017 legislative session. 

It is true that SB 261 required up to a 1% provider rate cut if revenues did
not meet a particular threshold by August 15, 2017.  However, the other cuts
required in the bill were left to DPHHS to determine. DPHHS decided to
further cut provider rates. Some providers have requested further information
regarding the other choices that DPHHS has made to cut other aspects of their
budget, however that information has not yet been provided. We will be very
interested to see if the state-run institutions, such as the Montana State
Hospital and the Galen campus, the Montana Developmental Center, or the
Montana Mental Health Nursing Care Center will be experiencing any of these
cuts at all.

 

Our concern is that the Administration seems to be repeating the mistakes
made after the 2008 economic downturn, where providers saw poor rates while
the state-run facilities did not experience the same economic consequences.
In a time when our community provider systems are already not sufficient to
address the great need in the community, we should be investing in these
providers instead of cutting their rates.

DPHHS held hearings on the three rules that would establish these cuts to
Medicaid services. The hearings were packed with opponents to these cuts. The
day prior to the hearings, the Children, Families, Health and Human Services
Legislative Interim Committee filed an objection to the rules.
<http://disabilityrightsmontana.cmail19.com/t/j-l-uuxujy-euuihdtju-w/> Click
here to read the Committee's objections.

 

They will hold a hearing regarding these rules at their next meeting on
September 11, 2017.

 

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

 

Live the life you want

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.