MA Medicaid waiver | Robust Analysis

From Rep. Mike Capuano’s newsletter last week:

On Halloween evening, October 31^st, the Patrick Administration announced it had reached an agreement with the federal government on a five year Medicaid waiver [link added]. This is funding that will go to certain Massachusetts hospitals providing health care to the state’s most vulnerable patients. Two of the so-called “safety net hospitals” are in the 7^th Congressional district [link added]. While the agreement should suffice for the first three years, it does not include funding for years four and five, putting the entire Massachusetts health insurance program in jeopardy starting in 2018. The amount agreed upon is almost half a billion dollars less than previous funding agreements. I applaud the efforts of Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Polanowicz but I am truly disappointed that the Obama Administration would jeopardize the first-in-the-nation health care system upon which the President based his legacy legislative accomplishment. I am especially disappointed because the Administration funded longer term waivers in other states, including Texas, whose governor, state legislature, and majority of members of Congress continue to be opposed to the Affordable Care Act. I find such disparate treatment incomprehensible and troubling. The current agreement leaves our Commonwealth at the mercy of the next President and the next Governor, and could result in increased cost to ratepayers. I hope my concern proves to be unfounded but I will pay close attention to the implementation of the agreement, particularly with respect to its last two years.