Yesterday, a new Medicaid Commission was announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. This Commission, ostensibly "bipartisan", is given far-reaching orders. You can find the
Medicaid Commission's Charter here.
Two diaries, one by nutmeg, the other by FleetAdmiralJ, have already focused on Sundquist, the former Tennessee Gov., Chair of this new committee, who was no friend of Medicaid. While they have covered his deficits very well, there is more to the story.
It should come as little surprise that the instructions to the committee are to recommend 10 Billion in cuts soon, and policy recommendations later. And with the time frame for cuts unbelievably short, it is inconceivable that the committee will have time for anything more than window dressing of Bush policies.
This announcement came to my attention through the fine work of FamiliesUSA - The Voice for HealthCare Consumers organization.
More below. .
The Medicaid commission will submit two reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. By Sept. 1, the commission is to recommend $10 billion in cuts for Medicaid over the next five years as well as long-term improvements to serve beneficiaries better. Also in this first report, the Committee is to consider potential performance goals for Medicaid as a basis of longer-term recommendations. The second report, due Dec. 31, 2006, will make recommendations to help sustain Medicaid over the long-term.
Eleven voting members and 15 non-voting members were named. As previously mentioned, former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist (Rep.) will chair the commission, with former Maine Governor Angus King (Ind.) as Vice-Chair. Two voting seats are being held open until after September 1, 2005, when the "real" work of the Commission will begin, according the Secretary.
By my quick analysis, the voting members of the commission, excluding the Chair and Co-Chair, include 4 who are likely considered as liberals, and 7 who are conservatives, almost certainly Republicans.
The conservative (Republican) voting members of the Committee have in their histories these things, among others: VP of the Family Research Council; Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute; Focus on the Family Board of Directors; former VP of the Heritage Foundation; advocate for health savings accounts; investment manager; although most are listed for their service in the current or former Bush administrations in HHS or other agencies.
The other voting members, likely Democrats, are a state health care administrator with rural focus, policy analyst for best practices to improve health care of the poor; director of policy center focusing on minority health issues; national advocate for persons with disabilities.
The nonvoting members span a range of health activities from the American Academy of Pediatrics to representatives of hospital associations, consumers, health corporations, local and state governmental units, drug store chains, and insurance groups. Conspicuous by their absence are any apparent representatives from the nation's outstanding Schools of Public Health and Public Policy.
As Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA says:
The Commission's lack of credibility is underscored by its very first assignment. Less than eight weeks from its appointment today, even though no meetings have been conducted, the Commission is required to recommend how to slash $10 billion from the Medicaid budget.
This assignment flies in the face of common sense. Changes in Medicaid--the key health care safety net for 53 million children, seniors, people with disabilities, and others--should only occur after careful deliberation. Moreover, budget decisions should follow policy analysis, not vice versa, as the HHS Secretary has proposed.
There is no requirement--in the existing congressional budget resolution or otherwise--that $10 billion be cut from Medicaid. The resolution requires cuts of $10 billion from programs under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee, but it does not require $10 billion in Medicaid cuts.