AUGUSTA, Maine — The state’s Department of Health and Human Services will hold off on notifying certain Medicaid recipients that their coverage might be eliminated until the state secures the federal approval necessary to implement the cuts.
MaineCare Services director Stefanie Nadeau told members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on Friday that DHHS will await an OK from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or the outcome of court action Maine has taken to force federal officials to sign off on about $20 million in cuts to Maine’s Medicaid program before notifying recipients of reductions in Medicaid benefits.
In August, Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew told lawmakers her department planned to send notices to about 12,000 low-income parents to alert them that they might lose Medicaid coverage, pending federal approval.
The 12,000 are among 36,000 total who would lose coverage if Maine receives federal permission to trim its Medicaid rolls. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has indicated the cuts for those 12,000 parents are likely consistent with federal law, while the remaining cuts might not be allowed under the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act.
That health care reform law largely prohibits states from cutting Medicaid services in advance of a 2014 expansion of the program.
Rep. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, told Mayhew last month that Medicaid recipients might be confused by a letter that says they could lose benefits if the letter doesn’t clearly indicate that the cuts won’t take effect without federal approval.
Whether the federal government will OK Maine’s requested Medicaid cuts is uncertain. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, said last week it wouldn’t meet the LePage administration’s requested Sept. 1 deadline for determining whether the cuts are allowed.
In response, Attorney General William Schneider asked for a court review of CMS’ decision. He also asked the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to order the federal government to approve Maine’s request to make its proposed Medicaid cuts and to pay Maine’s state share of related Medicaid expenses for the time federal officials take to consider the request.
And this is how the Government is planning too Murder it’s people? Most of the 12,000 people they plan on cutting will die within days and they all know it.
80% > 2/3s and/or majority. Real change in America will occur when we vote out the Masonic Population. The root of greed.
It would be interesting to know where you get some of your ideas. Sounds like you’ve been reading chicken little books.
What does the Masonic population have to do with MaineCare?
Hey Andy do you have a copy of the “list of 12,000” just wanted to see if my sister-in-law was on it.
MaineCare Services director Stefanie Nadeau told members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on Friday that DHHS will await an OK from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or the outcome of court action Maine has taken to force federal officials to sign off on about $20 million in cuts to Maine’s Medicaid program before notifying recipients of reductions in Medicaid benefits.
Did you also tell LePage that the lawsuit the AG filed for not getting a fast answer on his watch can be dropped? I mean if MaineCare services is willing to wait, why the lawsuit? Oh I answered my own question, because LePage thinks that by waiting this long to make a request everyone including the Feds are supposed to be on his terms…nevermind
I don’t know why this is such a hard issue to understand. The Fed’s clearly stated that they need a minimum of 90 days to make a decision. Both MCS and the AG’s office knew this. But instead of complying with the law they decided to ‘bum rush’ the Fed’s by submitting their request with only 30 days notice. The Fed’s were clearly within their right’s to say no since the Statute calls for the full 90 days. But does Maine comply with the law ? No, instead the AG file’s a lawsuit, which the 1st Circuit Appeals bench has now seen for what it is, which also demonstrates to the whole of the Federal Bench that Maine’s AG’s Office doesn’t even know how to read the current Statute’s that their own Agency’s have to operate under. In short, who in Maine is in charge of the State’s legal affair’s ’cause it sure isin’t the AG’s Office because they can’t even read, much less operate under existing Statute.
If there was ever a public demonstration as to just why Maine requires an elected Attorney General this is it. And with the increasing calls for a State Constitutional Convention to be called for because of LePage’s antic’s and increasingly erratic action’s, having in that Convention added in addition to the motion for an impeachment article a seperate motion calling for the Attorney General to be made an elected State Official, seperating their election thru the State Senate, is being seen as an inevitablity. The more, and longer, this Medicare / Medicaid nonsense goes on, the more that the this is going to be seen as a requirement. And LePage, and Schnieder , have only their own arrogance and political ego’s to blame.
It will show more how ignorant LePage and his cast of idiots are if the Feds come back and say No. I really think that is why the Lawsuit is there. We knew if the Feds said No LePage would sue the Feds. This is to put pressure which backfired, LePage was hoping the Feds who are still making sure everything is the way it should be and is consistent for all states betting on a slip up to say “Yeah it’s OK” then later say “Oh we screwed up” then for LePage to sit and laugh and tell the Feds it is their problem and they can’t go back on their word, and they are evil and can kiss his butt or whatever other words that spits out of his mouth. If the Feds say no Schnieder, LePage will be pushing to expedite the matter in Boston and I am sure unconstitutional will be in the verbiage too
Guess I missed the part Schnieder is already demanding the cuts be approved, that shouldn’t put a surprised look on my face, still if Boston says no or the Feds say no Schneider and LePage are going to go to Boston and dump pacifiers in the river! (You wouldn’t think they was going to do it with tea now did you?)
Good point. When the Ds are are poised to take over the statehouse again, at least I could vote for an AG more to my liking.
The Attorney General (and Sec. of State, State Auditor and Treasurer) are all elected by the Legislature, not directly by the citizens. It takes a majority vote of the combined houses to win.
And thus the clearly needed, and increasingly called for, State Consitutional Convention to provide for the addition of Cause for Action Impeachment Article’s. This Legislative election of State Officer’s nonsense was removed from the Federal Election’s process by Consitutional Amendment in order to provide for the DIRECT ELECTION of Congressman and Senator’s. It’s time that Maine came in from the Dark Ages and joined the rest of the State’s and provided for more, and publicly, accountability of it’s Constitutional Officer’s and their action’s.
PS; And when the Federal Court’s in Boston smack Maine’s AG for wasting their time regarding the Medicaid and Medicare waiver’s, as has already been seen as inevitable by the Secretary for DHHS and the time requirement’s posted for proper review, well, the Federal Court’s are gonna start looking at EVERY case Maine file’s for legitimacy and process. As we are very shortly to see, Maine is gonna get a rude awakening from the Federal Court’s, not to mention the press. The term ‘Who’s on 1st’ is about to get a practical test…………
CMS and Sec. Sebelius have also clearly stated that Maine will not receive a waiver for this.
Yet another example of the GOP doctrine of ” I don’t care how many years they contributed to the well being of our country. Let em die if they ain’t contributing to the vision of our feudal system today.”
The republican death panel
This is just horrible :(
And now, we find, that pain don’t matter, Republicans can sleep, cause their conscience is locked
up with their money, drag out the poor, put em on a train pointed out’ta Maine.
How nice of them! (sarcasm). I suppose than heaven for small (very) favors.
I supported the idea of giving the people who are losing Maine Care a heads up originally because I did not realize that the federal government had not yet agreed to the cuts to the program. Then the state AG filed the lawsuit trying to force the issue of approval by pushing the time frame to a 1/3 of the time allotted. Seems the governor and his peeps were counting the savings before they were allowed.
And the War on Poverty becomes the War on the Poor.
What’s also interesting is the fact that the sudden bum-rush to judgement is suspiciously close to the Election’s. Gee, am I the only one to see this or do I need new glass’s ?
The turkeys counting their chickens before they’re hatched.
Great way to bankrupt Maine hospitals. Take away government payments to the poor so that they go to the hospital for free. Then the hospitals have to absorb the losses.
That health care reform law largely prohibits states from cutting Medicaid services in advance of a 2014 expansion of the program.
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They must know this is a futile issue or they would be in court challenging it if they were positive they are correct.
It’s nothing but bluster on the part of the governor and his ‘henchman’.
Gwarsh, do ya think they might have strayed close enough to the real world to realize that banking on imaginary waivers might not be a good idea after all? Blasphemy! That’s like saying Santa Claus isn’t real!!!
At least (maybe) they’ve smartened up enough not to waste money on postage for a notice they’d only have to retract later.
It’s nice of them to wait to lower the boom on the people that they want to cut. Will they just be cut off with no notice if it is approved by the government? I hope all of these people are healthy, if not God help us all, the hospitals will be over run with patients that are very sick and can’t pay.
About time they take some action, there are so many “grown adults” with NO children that shouldn’t be getting the insurance, cause they’re waiting to hear if they’re gonna get disability or not, it’s just not fair for the working class that can barely afford their bill, rent, lights etc and can’t afford insurance on there own but don’t qualify for mainecare either… JUST NOT RIGHT, quess if you say you think your crazy and can’t work you’ll get insurance for a year while you wait for your answer… is this what my taxes are going to?????