Kentucky Fried Medicaid: Punish the Patient (Oh and West Virginia Too!)
West Virginia and Kentucky have decided that families must sign contracts promising to show up for doctor's appointments and not to abuse the emergency room by showing up when they don't really have an emergency. Don't want to sign? You'll get less benefits. It's all part of the Republican's version of state innovation in Medicaid: don't cut people from insurance, give them choices![thanks PFS]
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It's punishing people to ask them to act responsibly and not waste the state's money? Do you frivolously make doctor's appointments and not show up? Go to the emergency room when you have a cold? Would you be more or less likely to do these things if they were absolutely free for you?
- by Laura(southernxyl) on May 25, 2006 at 1:41 AM | link
I don't really have heartburn about educating Medicaid recipients on the realities of limited resources and responsible use of same, even including "contracts" and etc. It would be a good thing if people in general were more informed about the problems of misusing the ER, for instance, or the need to keep appointments.
One of the problems I see, of course, is that children--who make up a large bulk of Medicaid recipients--are not responsible for their own transportation or the decisions of their parents. And so any cutting of benefits because their parents do not meet their "contractual obligations" will harm the child, not the parent.
When we see large and consistent problems across a wide range of geographic areas (not making appts, misusing the ER, etc) this tells me there is a large underlying problem that has less to do with intentional disregard of "the taxpayer's money" and more to do with poverty and barriers to correct use. We may not be able to see the barriers, and simply adding more requirements to a system will not, in general, make for more compliance if compliance is already an issue.
Not saying I have all the answers, and voting for parental responsibility and a reminder of same, I'm not sure "contracts" are going to do much.
mary
- by mary on May 31, 2006 at 12:23 PM | link
Hello,
I would like to respond to this.
I have toxic encephalopathy, brain
damage from chemicals in the workplace. I have short term memory
problems that severely affect my
memory. I write down appointments
incorrectly many times, sometimes show up a day early, or a month late,
and none of this is my fault, home
health worker does not help me, she is hired by the state of west virginia. I ask you, is this fair to
me? Thank You for your time in this matter. Sincerely, Debra K Dove
- by Debra K Dove on Jun 20, 2006 at 9:08 PM | link