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MAY 20, 2011 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Welfare Spending & Medicaid
Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed FY 2011-12 budget would represent the first time General Fund spending on the Department of Public Welfare would exceed that for the Department of Education.
JANUARY 17, 2011 | Policy Report by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
A Blueprint for Transforming the Commonwealth
Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition. To provide a roadmap for success in this critical endeavor, the Commonwealth Foundation has compiled a list of 80 policy recommendations for Gov. Corbett and state legi
JANUARY 17, 2011 | Commentary by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE
How Corbett can Balance the Budget without Raising Taxes
Even before Gov.-elect Tom Corbett raises his right hand high Tuesday swearing to tackle the problems left from the previous administration's tax-borrow-and-spend agenda, doubters are lining up to take potshots at the notion that Harrisburg can close Pennsylvania's a potential $5 billion budget gap without a tax increase.
Recent Blog Posts
DECEMBER 22, 2011
No Rush on Health Insurance Exchanges
In late November the Department of Insurance announced that Pennsylvania would begin implementing a state health insurance exchange as laid out in PPACA (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The judgment was made after a series of hearings around the state and a study conducted by KPMG.
There is little reason for the administration to rush to implement a state exchange until the Supreme Court decides the fate of PPACA. The next federal government deadline for implementation grants was recently extended from December 2011 to June 2012—after the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of PPACA. If Obamacare is struck down, there is no reason to implement a government-run exchange.
A state health insurance exchange cannot be implemented without enabling legislation, and it doesn't appear that HB 627 or SB 940 are going to be a legislative priority anytime soon.
The following links contain good information about state exchanges:
- Should Missouri Create a Health Insurance Exchange?—Cato Institute (summary available here)
- Obamacare 'Exchange' Opposite of 'Free Market'—Mackinac Center
- Ten Reasons Why Arizona Must Reject Exchanges—Goldwater Institute
- Health Insurance Exchanges: What If They Issued 347 Pages of Regulations and Nobody Cared?— Pacific Research Institute
- Why Health Exchanges Don't Work— Pacific Research Institute
posted by ELIZABETH STELLE | 00:38 PM | 0 comment
DECEMBER 19, 2011
Protecting Medicaid for the Poor
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has trimmed Pennsylvania's Medicaid rolls by 150,000 people since August. Welfare spending advocates and organizations receiving welfare dollars have criticized the move, contending the department is acting illegally by ending Medicaid benefits for eligible Pennsylvanians. In reality, the department is reviewing the more than 150,000 cases that were overdue for their six month reviews when the Corbett administration came into office. At least 4,000 of those removed from Medicaid rolls were deceased and others had moved to different states.
Why the push to contain Medicaid costs? A recent NASBO study highlights how health programs for the poor are claiming a bigger share of states' spending this year. Nowhere is this more evident than Pennsylvania, where Public Welfare surpassed Education as the largest department in the state budget.
Enforcing the review requirement for Medicaid cases is not about stopping benefits for low-income Pennsylvanians, but protecting benefits for those who truly need assistance without increasing the burden on taxpayers.
posted by ELIZABETH STELLE | 00:05 PM | 0 comment
SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
Changing the Incentives in Medicaid
Medicaid spending is set to skyrocket under the federal health care overhaul in the next two years, but it already consumes 31 percent of Pennsylvania's budget. It is no surprise that the Department of Public Welfare is looking for ways to make the program, known for providing expensive and low-quality care, more cost-effective.
Last week, Welfare Secretary Gary Alexander revealed the department is looking at a form of Reverse Health Savings Accounts for Medicaid beneficiaries.
We are looking at a model to save hundreds of millions of dollars by steering Medicaid beneficiaries to the most cost-effective settings. To reward beneficiaries we would give them some incentive. . . so if the state saves $1,000 on a medical procedure we may give the beneficiary $100 or $200 as a reward.
Reverse Health Savings Accounts encourage enrollees to use health care services more discriminately. For instance, beneficiaries would be rewarded for using a primary physician for non-life threatening illnesses instead of a hospital emergency room.
According to health experts, this specific approach has never been tried in a state before, but adjusting patient incentives so they use health care effectively is nothing new. We recommended this approach nearly three years ago. Unlike more comprehensive reforms, such as block grants or waivers, this reform is very achievable since it doesn't appear to need federal approval.
posted by ELIZABETH STELLE | 01:45 PM | 0 comment
