2012 Georgia Rural Health Association 

Annual Conference

September 17 -19, 2012

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA

   CALL FOR SPEAKER SESSIONS 

 Deadline extended to July 1, 2012

 

CALL FOR STUDENT POSTER SESSION

 Deadline extended to September 7, 2012

 

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Deadline is August 1, 2012

 

 

Reservations: 1-888-312-8002

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MAY 21,  2012 TO AUG. 23, 2012

 

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Georgia is reshaping its Medicaid program, a complex lifeline for 1.7 million vulnerable people that consumes $$21 million in state and federal dollars every single day.

The state is widely expected to announce a plan this summer that would dramatically expand the use of for-profit insurance companies in a new approach to managing Medicaid.

The hope: that the companies would help hold down burgeoning Medicaid costs by emphasizing prevention and better tracking and coordinating care. That should mean fewer poor, disabled and elderly Georgians end up in emergency rooms, that more psychiatric patients remain stable and that doctors share test results instead of ordering duplicates that taxpayers wind up funding.

"The current Medicaid program design cannot be sustained," said David Cook, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health, who expects an annual Medicaid deficit of more than $$600 million within three years. "By acting now, we can save this important safety net program while improving quality care and providing greater value for patients and the public."

A consultant's report in January strongly recommended relying on private companies to manage Medicaid. In the months since, the state has quietly convened task forces of key health care providers and advocates to debate the various options, from maintaining the status quo to letting hospitals and doctors manage the care. State health officials are now preparing to decide on details of the new design. 

Doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and families who rely on Medicaid have expressed worries about the possible fallout if Georgia moves forward as expected. Georgia already ranks 49th nationally in per-person spending on Medicaid. They wonder if it's possible for the companies to improve care, spend less and earn a profit on a program that doctors and hospitals say doesn't pay enough to cover the cost of caring for Medicaid patients.

Among the specific concerns: Would the redesign drive even more doctors to leave Medicaid? Would managed care companies interfere with plans for disabled people that families have spent years arranging? Will patients be turned down for treatments that doctors say they need? Will hospitals make even less money from Medicaid, leading them to charge privately insured Georgians even more? 

No legislative approval is needed for the change in Medicaid management. Gov. Nathan Deal said he believes the state Department of Community Health has taken the right approach by analyzing the options and devoting weeks to hearing the concerns of those who rely on Medicaid.

Go to the Story

Medicaid more than medical aid 

People like Francel Kendrick once spent most of their lives locked inside state hospitals. Today, because of Georgia's Medicaid program, Kendrick and thousands of disabled people like him can hold down a job and ride a city bus to their own homes after work.

Medicaid isn't just a health plan for low-income people. These days, it's a job training program, relief for a mom with an autistic son and crisis teams to help someone with schizophrenia live a stable life in the community.

State health officials who are redesigning the state's $7.8 billion Medicaid program face an especially tricky task in dealing with recipients who rely on this broad spectrum of services. They are Georgians with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, as well as foster children and people with disabling physical conditions that keep them in bed or in wheelchairs

Theirs are the most complex cases in the Medicaid system. They also are the most costly. They account for one-fourth of the state's Medicaid population but consume more than half the funding. Further complicating matters, the state is under a U.S. Department of Justice settlement to move mentally ill and disabled Georgians out of state hospitals because of an abuse scandal that erupted in 2007.

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Article by By Misty Williams and Carrie Teegardin

Duals: The National Health Reform Experiment We Should Be Talking More About, The Latest "Pulling It Together, From Drew Altman"

Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman discusses the importance of the national demonstration program for Medicare and Medicaid dual eligibles being planned in twenty six states.

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This webinar is sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, Region VIII.

What: "The Road to Freedom," a Policy Briefing Luncheon

When: Noon, Wednesday, Jun 27, 2011