Governor John Baldacci joined a chorus of other governors from across the country in opposing any national healthcare plan that passes costs to states’ Medicaid programs.
Several healthcare bills working their way through Congress rely on increases in what states pay for Medicaid, a drain on resources that Baldacci said just isn’t feasible when lawmakers are cutting services to match sinking revenues.
“I give the president and his administration a lot of credit for tackling this difficult problem,” said Baldacci during an interview Tuesday, a day after he returned from a weekend meeting of the National Governors Association in Mississippi. “We’re telling Congress, ‘We just don’t want you to pass on unfunded mandates to states at a time when we can least afford it.'”
As Congress wrestles with President Barack Obama’s call for a national healthcare option, states are struggling in the economic downturn and Maine is no exception. Many lawmakers here favor making adjustments to the Medicaid program, particularly some
Republicans who say eligibility guidelines are too relaxed and payments to providers in some areas are too high.
Baldacci said he wants everyone currently receiving Medicaid benefits to continue receiving them, but wants changes made in the funding mechanism if Congress imposes more Medicaid requirements. Currently, the state receives about $3 in federal funds for every $1 spent out of state coffers. Conversely, if Maine cuts expenses in the program, three-quarters of those savings go back to the federal government.
“I’d like the opportunity to innovate the program,” said Baldacci. “We end up hurting our economy by making the right decisions and changes and the dollars go back to Washington. We don’t think that’s fair.”
Baldacci said he hopes Obama’s call for a national healthcare system doesn’t turn into a system of giving the benefits away for free.
“To me there’s a sense of fairness in saying look, there’s no free lunch,” said Baldacci. “I think people should have a cost-sharing requirement…it will help people in making sure they’re getting their primary care and universal wellness visits.”
That’s what Baldacci said he has attempted to do with the Dirigo Health program, a subsidized health insurance program that was conceived by Baldacci and enacted by the Legislature in 2003.
“We’ve created an innovative program and it doesn’t have all the benefits Medicaid does,” said Baldacci. “It’s about helping families, helping people and helping businesses remain healthy so they can remain productive.”
Even with his concerns, Baldacci said he hopes the push for a national health care plan is successful.
“We support him and his administration for wanting quality health care for every American,” said Baldacci. “We need to move ahead, but as always the devil is in the details. The details are that we are concerned about passing on to the states the responsibility for an expanded Medicaid program.”
