Medicaid System at Risk of Failing in Over Half of States U.S. Newswire 14 Sep 13:57

Medicaid System at Risk of Failing in Over Half of States To: National Desk Contact: Stephanie Meyer of the Center for Y2K and Society, 202-775-3157; E-mail: smeyer@y2kcenter.org; Web site: http://www.y2kcenter.org

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Center for Y2K and Society:

The Medicaid systems in 33 states and the District of Columbia are presently at considerable risk of failure due to Y2K problems, according to newly released information by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA).

Medicaid, a joint federal-state government program, pays for the healthcare of over 34 million Americans at a cost of $160 billion annually. Medicaid pays for one out of every three births in the United States, and almost half of all nursing home revenue comes from Medicaid. Essential healthcare is at risk.

According to HCFA, Medicaid is at high risk of failure in nine states: Alabama, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, and Vermont. More than two dozen states are at medium risk of failure, including Texas, Connecticut, New York, Arkansas, Missouri and the District of Columbia.

What will happen if state Medicaid systems fail to work come January 2000? Most impacts will appear not on Jan. 1 or 2 but over the first several months of the year:

-- Some patients will be refused healthcare. -- Urban public hospitals will be flooded with Medicaid patients who normally go to other healthcare institutions. -- Medicaid payments will slow down and cause the failure of cash poor clinics and nursing homes. -- The basic care of low-income nursing home residents will suffer as costs are cut. -- Fraud will increase dramatically as unscrupulous providers claim services were provided in 'good faith' to ineligible or nonexistent patients.

What can be done now, with just over 100 days left in 1999? Our prescription is centered around state-level and community-level contingency planning and applies regardless of Y2K readiness. All states must:

-- Freeze eligibility requirements from now through mid-2000. -- Issue paper eligibility IDs before the end of the year. -- Hire and train additional customer service representatives now. -- Move Medicaid funds to providers in the first quarter of 2000.

"The healthcare of 34 million Americans is at risk," said Norman Dean, executive director of the Center for Y2K and Society. "Government must take steps now to ensure Medicaid funds are paid in early 2000."

For months, the information on state Medicaid readiness had been withheld, prompting the Center for Y2K and Society to file a Freedom of Information Act request. The state readiness information is now available on the HCFA Web site at http://www.hcfa.org.

The Center for Y2K and Society is an activity of the Tides Center. For more information on healthcare and Y2K, contact Margaret Anderson at 202-775-3267.

--- Have You Heard?

-- According to the latest statistics available from HCFA, in the nine states where Medicaid is at high risk of failure, the program provides health benefits to over 6 million people -- nearly half of them children.

-- Starting next week, Y2Kountdown will be released on a weekly basis.

--- Upcoming Events

Sept. 15 -- The Office of Management and Budget is releasing its 10th quarterly report on the Y2K-readiness of the federal government. See http://www.cio.gov for more information.

-0- /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ 09/14 13:57

Copyright 1999, U.S. Newswire

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0914-121.htm

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), September 14, 1999

Answers

What a piece of work.

Can you believe this?

"For months, the information on state Medicaid readiness had been withheld, prompting the Center for Y2K and Society to file a Freedom of Information Act request. The state readiness information is now available on the HCFA Web site at http://www.hcfa.org. "

Why on earth would an FOIA need to be filed if government was telling the truth about Y2K?

-- why (oh@why.ohwhy?), September 14, 1999.

Thanks Homer,

Three-day storm, huh? Drated DeeCee twits! (I need a caffe latte).

Koskinen... you're stockpiling up some BAD karma.

Sheesh!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

One begins to progress toward the support of Nurnburg-type Trials for certain highly placed louses.

C

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), September 14, 1999.

Welcome to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the federal agency that administers the Medicare, Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Programs.

http://www.hcfa.gov/

Medicaid Y2K Information Briefs

http:// www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/y2k/y2kbrief.htm

2. Key weaknesses Found in State Medicaid Efforts to be Year 2000 Ready

This paper provides information gathered by the Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA) Medicaid Year 2000 Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) project teams during initial visits to all U.S. States and the District of Columbia. This paper is based on issues identified across all States and maintained in the HCFA IV&V Medicaid Project issues tracking database. The first site visits also identified good practices in many States which can serve as models for improvement. At the same time, second round site visits to many States reveal major advances in overcoming the weaknesses cited.

A PDF file...

http:// www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/y2k/whpweak2.pdf

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

If you wish to explore further, use... (Full HFCA Site Search) at...

http://www.hcfa.gov/ search.htm

Use search strategy: Year 2000 OR Y2K

And or... try each term separately.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

Diane,

Thanks for the links.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), September 14, 1999.

Thanks, Diane! I started looking all over the "hcfa.org" site (which is the URL given in the article) until I realized that it was a non-profit ("org") named "Health Care For All", not the "gov" entity.

Fun, fun, fun...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), September 14, 1999.

Yeah Mac, I was scrunching up my nose going... "what's wrong with this picture?" Then finally... ah ha... needs a dot gov instead.

Lot's of "stuff" to explore there.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

Nursing homes are bankrupting & closing at high rates NOW because Medicaid reimbursements come nowhere near covering actual expenses. As we've been saying, the Y2K suffering and death rate of the elderly will be catastrophic. You would have had to work in hospitals and nursing homes funded wholely or partially by Medicaid. We have. Our doomer status is based on observation. Nurses through and through ;^)

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 14, 1999.

The elderly will most certainly be in grave danger should the power go out for any extended length of time in January.

We've concluded that, whatever idiocy, myopic tunnel selfish laziness contributed to the Y2K catatonicastrophy, NOW it has become a .system conscious Cull Opportunity. Big fast way to eliminate all that enormous drain of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.

Entitlement Coffers to Coffins. Koffinsky in charge. Let's reinvent Government!

Stocking streamlined shrouds ... think they've gotten that far, the .gov .system .biz .establishment with quick nitty-gritty-grungy for-real COVER-UPS, contingency plans "final solutionized?" Got grave diggers? Got enough crematoriums?

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 14, 1999.

I am told by an IT friend at a hospital, that on average, hospitals receive 50% of their income from Medicare via HCF.

50%.

Anyone working at a hospital better start conserving their money. They may be asked to work for free next year.

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), September 15, 1999.