Monday, December 10, 2007

Texas to Revamp Medicaid

Categories: Medicaid, Texas

Texas is making a step in the right direction by funneling Medicaid money from institutions to individuals. From the Dallas Morning News:

The state submitted a plan to the federal government Wednesday that would increase health coverage for low-income adults, though with benefits perhaps less generous than what Medicaid offers.

Texas wants federal rules to be suspended so it can take some money traditionally funneled to hospitals that treat a lot of poor and uninsured patients, such as Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and instead help financially strapped adults buy private health insurance plans.

Big hospitals that receive the bulk of those payments--called "DSH" funds--complain that the money will not only not go to them, but be dispersed throughout the state.

That actually sounds like a good thing. Customer service in establishments served by a disproportionate number of public dependents is usually not as good as is found in other establishments.