State gets $10.6 billion for health care
By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff
Massachusetts will receive roughly $10.6 billion dollars from the federal government over the next three years to help keep its landmark health care law and many other health programs afloat.
After months of delicate negotiations, Governor Deval Patrick today outlined details of the long-awaited Medicaid waiver package at a State House news conference.
While Massachusetts did not get everything it had requested, it did get all of the money it expected to receive for this fiscal year, easing anxiety among state leaders who were prepared to make some drastic cuts.
The state also won a critical compromise on a key provision. Federal officials have agreed to allow the state to spend about $1 billion more over the next three years on its newly-created health care programs. Previously, federal officials had limited Massachusetts to a spending cap of about $1.3 billion a year, or about $4 billion total over three years, on those programs. The new waiver will allow Massachusetts to spend a total of $5 billion on those programs.
The waiver allows Massachusetts to provide health insurance to some residents with incomes higher than would typically be allowed under traditional Medicaid rules.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who played a pivotal role in negotiating the Medicaid deal with federal officials, called the agreement a major accomplishment.
"The waiver enables the state to continue to provide good, affordable health care to families, and provides additional funding and flexibility to build on these early successes in the years to come," he said in a news release.
"We’ve made major progress in the program’s first two years, cutting the number of uninsured in half, and increasing employer- sponsored coverage. Our experience with health reform in the Commonwealth argues well for our debate on national health reform next year."
Thanks Teddy!
and so the phoney reform continues.....and providers increase the certainty and speed of payment....and we all get to pretend that the US-style health insurance (sic) market is working. ('Taint insurance if its core role is not to pay for unexpected, unfunded catastrophic losses. The coverages required contain too many low or first dollar payments and loss prevention costs to even begin to pretend that the products offered - required to be offered - are insurance.
This would be the Commonwealth Care bailout?
More giveaways. Great
As often is the case, Ted delivers. He walks the walk. We are lucky to have him. Thanks to Gov. Patrick, as well.
another government rip off. Teddy doesnt give away HIS money, he gives away ours.
As for the state. got to www.mass.gov and click on "agencies" after you spend the enxt 5 minutes scrolling though page after page of state agencies, you can wonder why our schools dont have enough money. Paying for state hacks to sit on their butts and suck off the people actually creating value.
Our $10.6 billion from Uncle Sam is one of the reasons why the national debt is $9.945 trillion. The debt was $9.229 trillion at the beginning of the year so it's up by $716 billion so far this year and there are still 3 months to go. This isn't sustainable.
Will they add the $10b to the $700b financial industry bailout?
Are you kidding? Not thanks TEddy it was Romney who designed this thing. Not Teddy. In fact if Duval would have let it work like it was supposed to they would not have needed federal aid in the first place.
According to sen. kennedy we've cut "the number of uninsured in half", and we're already requiring over 10 BILLION from the federal gov. And this is just one state, and a small one at that. if we do this at the national level as sen. Obama wants to, how are we going to fund this? higher taxes anyone?
Not to mention the waiting times for appointments. Can we say, Canada ? Now people leave the state to get healthcare elsewhere !
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