Program Changes Help Kentucky Medicaid Avoid Projected Deficit
The changes include:
Reducing average overall cost of health care for Medicaid beneficiaries from $119 per beneficiary per week in 2005 to $115 per week in 2006, for an overall savings of $67.6 million for the year;
Increasing the use of generic prescription drugs while decreasing the average number of prescriptions per beneficiary to 3.6; and
Launching a pilot program to educate state residents on management and prevention of chronic illnesses, resulting in a decreased number of emergency department visits.
However, Birdwhistell said pilot prevention programs are not helping as many residents as he had hoped and the transition to use new technology to coordinate Medicaid was not "seamless." In addition, some physicians and providers have complained that it still takes too long for the state to approve physicians to accept Medicaid beneficiaries (Alessi, Lexington Herald-Leader, 6/26).
While "the outlook is encouraging, some Democratic leaders are hesitant to say the state's Medicaid crisis has been averted," according to the AP/Herald-Leader. State Rep. Stan Lee (D) said, "I won't say I feel confident that we've overcome the deficit," but "we've had some very, very good beginnings" (AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 6/26).
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Programul de modificãri ajuta Kentucky Medicaid evita deficitul proiectat - Program Changes Help Kentucky Medicaid Avoid Projected Deficit - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate