Obama Delivers Medicaid Relief
I suppose it's a sign of the times when I admit that my guitar-playing friends and I made up a song about the financial bailout during a jam session 2 weeks ago. The fact that said jam session was at home and wine was in supply may explain why the creative juices were flowing.
Well, a few days later President Obama signed the stimulus into law, and now states are lining up to get a dose of financial relief. Yesterday, the White House announced that state governments will gain access to the first installment of more than $15 billion in Medicaid assistance, starting tomorrow. President Obama made the announcement during a meeting with U.S. governors.
"That means that by the time most of you get home, money will be waiting to help 20 million vulnerable Americans in your states get health coverage and 49 million Americans keep it," the President said.
The funds couldn't come at a better time; growing unemployment has hit Medicaid budgets hard, shuttering some facilities and forcing even the best hospitals to consider layoffs.
So how big is your state's chunk of the change? You can find out at hhs.gov, where an interactive map lists the amount each state will receive. The good old Keystone state, where our staff is headquartered, will be raking in more than $680 million.
According to reports, a few governors may forgo the funds, arguing that they'd pay for it in the long run by having to raise taxes once the funding runs out. President Obama expressed concern that such arguments might be politically motivated.
On the bright side, collaboration is apparently alive and well, albeit behind closed doors. A New York Times article reports that Sen. Edward Kennedy has been in cahoots with lobbyists representing doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders in the health care industry to address ways to make health coverage more affordable. Yes, much like my fellow bailout crooners--a marketing buff, a nurse and engineer, among others--those involved in Kennedy's meetings come from all walks of life: the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to name a few.
According to the article, President Obama knows about the meetings and has been getting updates, so it may only be time until we see some real movement on health care reform. Let's just hope no one hits the brakes.