LTC
Bullet: The Medicaid Commission
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Washington, DC--
LTC Comment: Specifications
are out for the controversial, eagerly anticipated "Medicaid
Commission" mandated by the 2006 budget resolution.
More after the ***news.***
*** LTC BLOG. If
you haven't checked out the Center for Long-Term Care Reform's new "LTC
Blog," why not go there now: www.centerltc.com
. You'll find daily items of
interest, our analysis of events and reports, and links to lots more valuable
information here, there and everywhere on the web, including in our
password-protected Members Only Zone for dues-paying supporters of the Center's
mission: universal access to
top-quality long-term care for all Americans. ***
*** BOOTLEG copies of the National Governors Association's
draft proposals for Medicaid and long-term care reform are creeping out.
We found ours in a flower pot at the Watergate complex.
Just kidding, they're everywhere finally.
But watch the LTC Blog and our LTC E-Alerts to Members for details and
critical comments on that elusive document's contents. ***
*** STEVE MOSES is midway through his first week of meeting
and briefing key policy makers and legislators in DC. His "behind the lines" LTC Embed reports provide
frequent updates on the inner workings of public policy formation.
They're sent directly to Center members by email and summarized in the
LTC Blog almost daily. Steve says "This year presents a unique opportunity to
save Medicaid for the truly needy and advance private LTC financing alternatives
for everyone else. Join us to fight
for rational LTC policy." ***
LTC BULLET: THE
MEDICAID COMMISSION
LTC Comment: The
Bush Administration and the House of Representatives wanted larger Medicaid cuts
than the $10 billion (over five years) that appear in the 2006 budget
resolution. The Senate and many
interest groups wanted less. A
compromise was reached premised on establishment of a "Medicaid
Commission" to study the hidebound, anachronistic welfare program and
propose money-saving improvements.
Like everything else in beltway politics, the Medicaid
Commission was embroiled in controversy immediately upon its legislative
authorization. The Administration
wanted to control appointments to the commission. Critics wanted appointment power in the hands of an
independent organization such as the Institute for Medicine. The Administration won.
Following below is a summary of the Charter for the
Medicaid Commission as released by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael
Leavitt. For more details, link to
the federal register notice announcing "Establishment of the Medicaid Commission and Request for
Nominations for Members" at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/faca/mc/frnotice.pdf
.
Secretary Leavitt introduced the Commission with these
comments: "For generations, Medicaid has served the health
care needs of the truly needy in America, but today the program is no longer
meeting its potential. It is
rigidly inflexible and inefficient, and worst
of all, it is not financially sustainable.
I look forward to working with this commission in an open and bipartisan
manner to reform and modernize Medicaid."
Long-term
care, eligibility, benefit design and service delivery are key components of the
Commission's mandate. Let's hope
the outcome is progress, savings, and improvements, not just delay and more
stagnation.
Information
on how to nominate someone to serve on the Commission follows after this summary
of the Commission's Charter:
----------------
The
Medicaid Commission . . .
*
Shall submit two reports to the Secretary and Congress on 9/1/05 and by
12/31/06.
*
The first report will provide recommendations on options to achieve $10 billion
in Medicaid savings over five years. The
December '06 report will make longer term recommendations on the future of the
program and specific performance goals.
*
The proposals developed by the Commission shall address six aspects of the
program including long term care.
*
Composition will consist of three types of member groups:
Voting members, Non-Voting Members and Non-Voting Congressional Advisor
Members. Only voting members have
authority to vote on the recommendations. The
Secretary shall designate a voting member to serve as Chair.
** Voting members (Up to 15
members)
*** Former or current Governors.
*** Three representatives of public policy organizations involved in
major health care policy issues for families, individuals with disabilities,
low-income individuals, or the elderly.
*** Former or current State Medicaid Directors.
*** Individuals with expertise in health, finance, or administration.
*** Federal officials who administer programs that serve the Medicaid
population.
*** The Secretary (or the Secretary's designee) and such other members as
the Secretary may specify.
*** Ex Officio Members.
** Non-Voting Advisor Members (Up to 15 members)
*** State and local government officials, consumer and provider
representatives who have an inherent interest in the Medicaid program.
** Non-Voting Congressional Advisor Members (8 members)
The following legislative leaders will make one Congressional selection
each:
*** Senate Majority Leader
*** Senate
Minority Leader
***
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
*** Ranking
Member, Senate Finance Committee
*** Speaker,
House of Representatives
*** Minority
Leader, House of Representatives
***
Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
*** Ranking
Member, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
*
The Secretary is requesting nominations. Nominations
must include specific information detailed in below.
They are due June 3rd.
*
Subcommittees may be established.
*
Management and support services shall be provided by HHS.
*
Up to 6 meetings per year at the call of the Chair.
Meetings open to the public.
----------------
Excerpt
from CMS-2214-N announcing establishment of the Medicaid Commission and
requesting nominations for members:
SUBMISSION
OF NOMINATIONS
We are requesting nominations for membership as voting members or as
non-voting members on the Medicaid Commission.
We will consider qualified individuals who are self-nominated or are
nominated by organizations representing States, beneficiaries, and providers
when we select these representatives. The
Secretary will appoint members to serve on the Commission from among those
candidates that we determine have the technical expertise to meet specific
agency needs in a manner to ensure an appropriate balance of membership.
Any interested person may nominate one or more qualified individuals for
each of the categories listed [above]. Each
nomination must include the following information:
1. A letter of nomination
that contains contact information for both the nominator and nominee (if not the
same).
2. A statement from the
nominee that he or she is willing to serve on the Commission for its duration
(that is, through January 31, 2007) and an explanation of the nominee's interest
in serving on the Commission. (For
self-nominations, this information may be included in the nomination letter.)
3. A curriculum vitae that
indicates the nominee's educational and Medicaid experiences.
4. Two letters of reference
that support the nominee's qualifications for participation on the Commission.
(For nominations other than self-nominations, a nomination letter that
includes information supporting the nominee's qualifications may be counted as
one of the letters of reference.)
To ensure that a nomination is considered, we must receive all of the
nomination information specified [above] June 3, 2005.
Nominations should be mailed to the address specified in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice. . . .
ADDRESSES:
Send nominations to: Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore Maryland
21244-1850, Policy Coordination and Planning Group, Mail stop S2-26-12,
Attention: Mary Beth Hance