Medicaid benefits slashed this week for Arizonans

Arizonans who depend on the state’s Medicaid system are facing big cuts in services.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System is slicing away coverage for basic health services such as physicals, most dental care, podiatry, some organ transplants and other programs.

The Arizona Republic reports the state is also slashing benefits for medical equipment such as insulin pumps, hearing aids, cochlear implants, computer-controlled lower limbs and joints.

The cuts take effect Friday and administrators say they are necessary to deal with the state’s budget crisis and an increase in the number of enrollees during the bad economy. The benefits cuts will save an estimated $20 million through the end of June.