Rhode Island's Medicaid Waiver Shows How States Can Save Their Budgets From Obamacare's Assault

Key points from this month's Health Policy Prescription:

• On the last day of the Bush Administration, Rhode Island won a federal waiver to reduce federal control and increase patient choice in the state’s Medicaid program.

• In 18 months following the waiver, Rhode Island’s Medicaid spending was almost one-third less than budgeted: $2.7 billion versus $3.8 billion.

• Rhode Island’s successful reforms include the ability to incentivize higher quality care, rebalancing long-term care, and giving beneficiaries more direct control of their health spending.

• Because Obamacare will impose a catastrophically expensive expansion of Medicaid dependency on states, governors and state legislators should invest significant effort in crafting and lobbying for waivers similar to Rhode Island’s.

Read the entire article here.