Americans want to "keep Medicaid as it is": survey

Friday, May 27, 2011

More than half of Americans do not want to cut Medicaid funding and are skeptical of changing the way the federal government funds, the health program for the poor, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation released on Wednesday.

Currently, U.S. states administer Medicaid partial refunds for the federal government. The health reform law passed last year made more people eligible for the program and also increased some rates of reimbursement.

Recently, Republicans in Congress have raised the idea of ​​moving away from rebates and towards the sending state a fixed amount of money each year for the program, which can take up one third of the state budget.

Kaiser survey found that 60 percent of the people "would prefer to keep Medicaid as it is with the federal government to ensure coverage and minimum standards for benefits and eligibility."

Only 13 percent supported major reductions in Medicaid spending to reduce the U.S. deficit, and 30 percent supported minor reduction.

Medicaid was thrust into the spotlight this week as the administration of President Barack Obama and Congress work to close a deal to reduce the deficit by $ 1 billion.

In recent talks, the negotiators discussed over Medicaid to Medicare, the health insurance program for the elderly, saying that the two forms of intervention represents almost a quarter of federal spending.

Kaiser said that Americans have a strong attachment to Medicaid, with approximately half reporting that someone in your life have been helped at some point. He added about 69 million people are covered by Medicaid this year.

As the recession that began in 2007 led the U.S. unemployment rate to 10 percent, many of those who lost their jobs and health insurance sponsored by employee returned to Medicaid. This created additional pressure on states, which also had to pay unemployment compensation, while its revenues dropped to the lowest levels in decades.

The 2009 plan launched in federal stimulus extra money for Medicaid, the last of which will be sent in June.

Some governors, including Haley Barbour of Mississippi, support the idea of ​​Medicaid funds as a block grant.

Republicans, including House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton and ranking Senate Finance Committee member Orrin Hatch, calling for reforms to the program to lower costs.

"We are concerned that the program is failing patients, is a target for waste, fraud and abuse, and bankruptcy of state and federal governments," said the two leaders in a letter to 50 governors earlier this week.

Republicans say the block grants would also give states more control over the program.

Many Democrats against subsidies that keep the program to respond quickly to increased demand as observed during the recession. They say that means state block grant will pay more for the program.
Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/us-usa-healthcare-medicaid-idUSTRE74O5BE20110525