Florida's health care system for needy and disabled children violates federal laws, judge rules

[Sancho]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/floridas-health-care-system-for-needy-and-disabled-children-violates/2212039

A federal judge Wednesday declared Florida's health care system for needy and disabled children to be in violation of several federal laws, handing a stunning victory to doctors and children's advocates who have fought for almost a decade to force the state to pay pediatricians enough money to ensure impoverished children can receive adequate care.

The low spending plans, which forced Medicaid providers for needy children to be paid far below what private insurers would spend — and well below what doctors were paid in the Medicare program for a more powerful group, elders — amounted to rationing of care, the order said.

"This is a great day for the children in this state," said Dr. Louis B. St. Petery, a Tallahassee pediatrician who is executive vice president of the Florida Pediatric Society and who helped spearhead the suit. "This action was taken because we found that children weren't being treated properly if they were on Medicaid. Our position as pediatricians," he added, "is that children do not choose their parents. They don't have a choice to be born into a rich family or a poor family.

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Worst governor ever...maybe the worst state legislature ever too.

[Thespian2]

1. Sancho

You could have added one of the worst states ever (I know Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and other states are vying for this title.) I hasten to add the Republicanization of these states caused them to be so terrible, so don't think I am tarring all residents with the same brush.

[Indydem]

2. This is interesting

I had never heard of this program before. Can someone explain why this program was bad? If a child is born into poverty and receives state sponsored health care, why shouldn't the health care provider chip in and take a rate cut to help a child in poverty? If this allows the state to spend the same amount of money but cover more children, why shouldn't doctors and hospitals take a haircut?

[Sancho]

3. Because providers won't take patients if they lose money on them...

which is what the lawsuits claim. Basically, over the last 15 years the GOP in Florida has tried to both kill Medicaid or find a way to make it another profit tool for the investors.

They have dismantled all state support for anything from child health care to public clinics to mental health, etc. Public hospitals, medical schools, and clinics have been reduced or shut down.

I happened to have raised a couple kids from the foster system who qualified for Medicaid for basic health and mental health. 20 years ago, there were public clinics, family doctors, etc.

Now, there are few places available plus most heath care is now privatized (hospitals, dentists, etc. are all part of "networks&quot . None will take Medicaid because they "lose money on it", so kids have no where to go. That's the basis of the lawsuits over the last decade - that the state pays at a rate that no one will accept and at the same time encourage the loss of almost all public options.

That's a quick summary from my experience.

[Doctor_J]

4. Give Scott 60 days to fix it, then arrest him.