By Staff
June 23, 2002
So let's get this straight: a teen-ager who drives a new car, has a cellular phone and wears designer clothes also receives Medicaid benefits from the state of Mississippi? And that doesn't represent abuse of the federal-state health care plan for the needy, aged, blind and disabled a program on the edge of collapse because of financial problems?
Well, that's exactly what Rica Lewis Payton, the Medicaid program's executive director, told members of a joint state legislative committee examining the program's problems.
And something about it just doesn't sound right.
At the very least, the teen-ager's case highlights more than anything else why members of the legislative committee should thoroughly and completely examine every aspect of Medicaid.
The program, which provides medical care to about 650,000 Mississippians, has been struggling financially for more than a year.
It's expected to start the new fiscal year July 1 with a $120 million shortfall in state funds. And because the money is matched with federal funds 3-to-1, the state could be out of $480 million next year.
House Speaker Tim Ford and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck named the joint committee to find ways of containing Medicaid's expenses and offer possible legislation for a special session later this year.
We urge committee members to do just that: look in-depth at every aspect and detail of Medicaid and pay particular attention to eligibility requirements and possible fraud.
Then, maybe we will be able to understand cases like that of the 15-year-old Medicaid recipient and determine for ourselves what if any rules or regulations must be changed.