Lawmakers hope for compromise to avoid Medicaid cutbacks

Published 5:00 am Monday, July 14, 2008

Gov. Haley Barbour’s announcement Friday of a series oflong-promised cuts to the state’s Medicaid program on Aug. 6 willlikely leave the Legislature, which reconvenes the stop-and-gospecial session on Aug 4., only 48 hours to find a solution thathas eluded lawmakers for almost eight months.

With no solution yet reached, the governor’s plan calls forapproximately $375 million to be slashed from Medicaid.

The state’s hospitals could experience a 33 percent reduction inMedicaid reimbursements. Physicians and pharmacists may lose 10percent of their reimbursements, and nursing homes may see a 6percent reduction.

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The Mississippi Hospital Association is predicting the loss of5,000 medical jobs and the termination of some services across thestate if the cuts are enacted. Barbour has said the cuts will gointo effect unless the Legislature approves Senate Bill 2013, thelegislation containing the $167 per day hospital assessment he ispushing as a long-term fix for Medicaid.

The governor’s plan may not be having the desired effect on locallegislators, however. Instead of being frightened into support forSB 2013, they now appear to be more open to a hybrid billcontaining a mixture of hospital assessments and increased tobaccotaxes than ever before.

“I feel like however we can reach a compromise to keep health caregoing, that’s what we need to do,” said District 92 Rep. BeckyCurrie, R-Brookhaven. “If the major players would come to anagreement, I would support any kind of compromise that wouldsupport Medicaid.”

Currie, who twice sided with House Democrats early in the regularsession, changed her stance to favor the hospital assessment whenthe hospitals in her district, King’s Daughters Medical Center andFranklin County Memorial Hospital, requested she do so. She said SB2013 is the best long-term solution to come before the Legislaturethus far, but also believes that higher cigarette taxes areinevitable.

But there must be an agreeable meeting of the minds, Curriesaid.

“I will be open to a hybrid bill if the governor, lieutenantgovernor and the Senate would all go along with it,” Currie said.”But for us to go back up there and pass another cigarette tax tonever go anywhere is just a waste of time. If the House could havesigned off on SB 2013, we could have gone in and done somethingdifferent in January and we wouldn’t be facing this crisis rightnow.”

District 91 Rep. Bob Evans, D-Monticello, said the legislativestalemate would continue, even under the threat of Medicaid cuts,until the governor backed down from his unalterable demand for SB2013.

“I don’t think it’s gonna change unless there’s something elsethrown in the hopper to go with it,” he said. “If the governorthinks the House is gonna come back up there and capitulate, he’swrong. And if he carries through on these Medicaid cuts, it will bethe most cowardly, despicable, un-Christianly act any politicianhas ever accomplished in Mississippi.”

Evans said the House is still waiting for hybrid legislationpromised last month by Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, whose plan to deliversuch a bill from the Senate was mentioned once and never heard fromagain.

“The House has already made it evident that we’re willing to meethim half way,” Evans said. “The House started out this year as’only tobacco tax,’ but we’ve changed our position – we will pass ahybrid if the governor will consider it. All good politics is theart of compromise.”

District 53 Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, said any compromisewould have to come from Bryant, whom Moak thinks has been somewhatshunned by the governor for his sudden attempt at a compromise fromthe Senate.

“Whatever the lieutenant governor’s proposal was, it looks like heno longer has the support of the governor – now it’s up to him,”Moak said. “Lt. Gov. Bryant has the opportunity to follow up onwhat he told the House he was going to do. Will he step out thereon his own, or simply follow the governor?”

Moak said a hybrid bill is likely the only way the Legislature canfund Medicaid and avoid cuts the program because an assessmentplan, on its own, has no chance of passing either chamber.

“If the Senate had to pass a bed tax again, I’m not sure they couldget the votes – and I know it won’t happen in the House,” he said.”It only got 45 votes in the House its first time out of the box,and while the Senate passed it very quickly, it appears now thatsupport has eroded considerably.”

District 39 Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, D-Brookhaven, was not availablefor comment.