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Smith Initiates Discussion on Strengthening Medicaid
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September 13th, 2006 - Washington, DC - In a move to set in motion Senate discussions on methods to improve care and achieve better coordination of services in Medicaid, Chairman Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) conducted the first in a series of roundtable hearings on protecting the program’s future. This morning’s roundtable, “Securing Medicaid’s Future: Spotlight on Managed Care” focused on how the federal government can encourage states to more fully utilize managed care for high-need, high-cost populations, including dual-eligibles, the disabled and persons with multiple chronic conditions.
“Medicaid is a vitally important program for our nation’s poor, elderly and disabled,” said Chairman Smith. “Unfortunately, the future of this program is in danger. Improvements are necessary to ensure that states can utilize the many innovations in health care since the program’s inception decades ago.
“Discussions from this series of roundtables in the Senate Aging Committee will serve as a starting point for future legislative proposals that will work to improve Medicaid and ensure the program’s sustainability.”
Committee members heard testimony from key stakeholders from within the Medicaid program as well as program advocates including Arizona Medicaid director, Anthony Rodgers; Ron Pollack of Families USA; Jeffrey Crowley of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University; Greg Nycz of the Marshfield Community Health Center in Wisconsin; David Ford of CareOregon; and Dan Hilferty of AmeriHealth Mercy.
The “Securing Medicaid’s Future” monthly roundtable series will also look at long term care and coordination with other federal health care programs.
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U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
G31 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5364
Fax: 202-224-8660
mailbox@aging.senate.gov
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