Rep. Davis Calls for Review of Medicaid Waiver Approval Process

 

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman Jim Davis, joined by several of his Florida colleagues, called on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to keep a close eye on Florida’s risky overhaul of the Medicaid program, while expressing concerns about how the Department approved the federal waiver permitting these reforms.

 

In October, the Department approved a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver, proposed by Gov. Jeb Bush, to allow the state to shift 2.2 million Medicaid beneficiaries to managed care while also capping per-beneficiary state expenditures.  The proposal will dramatically impact the level and quality of benefits for Florida’s neediest patients.

 

In a letter sent to Secretary Leavitt yesterday, seven members of Florida’s congressional delegation questioned the Secretary’s decision to approve the waiver in record time with no congressional oversight.  The group had written to Secretary Leavitt earlier this year to request a public hearing before Congress about the waiver, but received no reply.  Despite having 90 days to review Gov. Bush’s request, the Secretary approved the waiver in just over two weeks with no hearings and no debates.

 

“Florida’s Medicaid program is of life and death importance to countless Floridians, and by approving Gov. Bush’s Medicaid waiver without conducting a thorough review of the consequences, Secretary Leavitt has gambled on their futures,” said Congressman Jim Davis.  “I hope the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will keep close watch on our state as reforms to the Medicaid program are implemented and that any future waivers are more carefully considered.”

 

Click here to read Rep. Davis' letter to Secretary Leavitt.