Common Denominator in Failed State Health Reform: Budget Woes
Photo by weddingssc1 via flickr.com
Despite the looming recession, it appears Washington plans to charge forward with health reform. Many posts on our site cover the President’s ambitious agenda.
But the states may be a different story. A round up of failed– or at least disappointing– health reform state initiatives over the past two weeks shows a consistent factor in the process: budget woes. Many states have shown themselves to be not willing to overlook state budget crises in favor of immediate health reform.
Case in point: Washington State. The state’s House approved a bill last week that would remove thousands of beneficiaries from basic state health care. State officials would have authority to remove residents receiving separate benefits from the state’s Department of Social and Health Services, as well as discretionary removal of residents based on income, perceived access to private insurance, and how long a particular resident has received basic state health care. The bill, according to the AP/Seatle Post-Intelligender, is likely to save the state $250 million (of the $9 billion annual budget gap that the state hopes to close). The proposal is currently awaiting a vote in the state Senate.
Washington also recently imposed a new rule that would cut Medicaid reimbursements for brand-name prescription drugs– an intended savings of $1 million dollars a month. However, two weeks ago the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that a federal judge imposed a ban on enforcement of the new measure over concerns that it would restrict access to prescription drugs. A hearing on May 18th will determine whether the ban will be lifted or stayed. Read more
Las Vegas Health Care Practices Prompt State and Federal Concerns
Filed under: Health Care Clinics, Medicare, State Initiatives
Photo by BaLLYoOo via Flickr
This week MSNBC covered special hearings held by the health committees of both the Nevada Senate and Assembly. The hearings aimed to reform certain state laws as a response to last year’s hepatitis C outbreak in Las Vegas, NV. The outbreak required over 60,000 Las Vegas surgical center patients to be notified of possible infection– the largest patient-related notification effort in U.S. history– after improper injection of anesthesia resulted in several cases of hepatitis C.
According to MSNBC, proposed reforms in state law would offer stronger whistle blower protection for nurses, more frequent inspections of health facilities, and a streamlining of the reporting and investigation of future major patient problems.
In addition, Las Vegas is among a handful of regions at the center of federal concern over Medicare spending.  Yesterday, the Las Vegas Sun reported that a new study by the Dartmouth Atlas Project finds Las Vegas hospitals to be among the top ten percent most expensive in the country for Medicare spending costs. Dr. David Goodman, co-principal investigator of the report, tells the Las Vegas Sun that these costs do not necessarily reflect a high level of care, but may actually be a product of “greedy” Las Vegas doctors billing for services beyond what they provide. In the same interview, Goodman expressed fear that such practices may lead to the bankruptcy of Medicare– a program that some argue will be deficient by over 660 billion by 2023.
Such practices have not gone unnoticed in Washington. House Representative Henry Waxman (D-Ca), Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, sees the recent Stimulus as an opportunity to establish needed oversight, according to CQPolitics. In addition to monitoring state spending of Stimulus funds designated for health care, Waxman’s committee has crafted an oversight plan that looks out for “Medicare waste and fraud” in general.
