Urgent Update on Proposals to Turn Medicaid into a Block Grant: Governors' Task Force Fails to Back White House Proposals

Joint Statement from the Democratic Governors on the NGA Medicaid Reform Task Force* (June 12, 2003) Letter to HHS Secretary Thompson from Republican Governors on the NGA Medicaid Reform Task Force* (June 10, 2003) For more information on the administration's plan, see these resources: Action Alert: Fight Bush's Assault on Medicaid (May 6, 2003) Making the Right Choices, a Bazelon Center issue brief* * PDF files. You will need the free Acrobat Reader to view and print it. Support the Bazelon Center. Your tax-deductible donation helps the Bazelon Center keep you informed on important developments in mental health law and policy. Not a Subscriber? Sign up now to receive action alerts and updates from the Bazelon Center.

(June 13, 2003)--A bipartisan task force appointed by the National Governors Association (NGA) to work with the Bush Administration on proposed changes to the Medicaid program has failed to reach agreement, denying the White House a critical endorsement of its Medicaid plan.

At issue are changes that have been widely opposed by advocates for people with disabilities. The Bush proposals would cap federal funds for Medicaid. The plan would also allow states to substantially reduce benefits, including coverage of mental health services, and to cut people from the program.

In a letter dated June 10, the five Republican governors on the task force–Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, Jeb Bush of Florida, John Rowland of Connecticut, John Hoeven of North Dakota and Robert Ehrlich of Maryland--sent a letter to US Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson urging the Administration and Congress to move ahead with such changes. Missing from the letter were the signatures of the task force's five Democratic governors–Paul Patton of Kentucky, Frank O'Bannon of Indiana, Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Bob Holden of Missouri and Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

Without a bipartisan endorsement from the NGA task force, advancing the White House Medicaid proposal through Congress will likely become more difficult.

Special Thanks

Thanks to the Bazelon Alert readers who joined millions of other advocates in urging their governors to reject proposed changes to Medicaid that would be disastrous for low-income populations and people with disabilities.