Feds give states a menu for cutting Medicaid
Answering a fiscal 911 call from the nation's governors, the Obama administration Thursday gave cash-strapped states a menu for cutting Medicaid spending, one of their biggest budget headaches.
AZ lawmakers grapple with transplant coverage cut
Life or death consequences for dozens of Arizonans are butting up against the state's budget woes as legislators debate the elimination last fall of Medicaid coverage for some transplants — even as they consider additional health care cuts.
Ariz. official says decision due on Medicaid cut
Gov. Jan Brewer's request for a federal waiver to suspend Medicaid coverage for 280,000 adults to help balance the state budget should be decided before it is supposed to take effect later this year, a state official said Tuesday.
Official: Arizona fund not tabbed for transplants
Arizona is still designing a proposed fund for hospitals and other health care providers, with no plan as of now to use it to provide reimbursements for transplants dropped from state Medicaid coverage in a 2010 budget cut, the state's Medicaid director said Tuesday.
Brewer signs bill, plans to apply for Medicaid waiver Monday
Declaring that her plan to drastically cut funding for health coverage is Arizona’s “only option” to stabilize its budget, Gov. Jan Brewer promptly on Friday signed a bill that gives her the authority to ask the federal government’s permission to implement her proposal.
Brewer budget hits AHCCCS, universities
The budget proposal released today by Gov. Jan Brewer hinges on empathy from the federal government, surviving potential lawsuits and a $330 million accounting gimmick that may not be legal.
Medicaid benefits slashed this week for Arizonans
Arizonans who depend on the state's Medicaid system are facing big cuts in services.
AHCCCS director says health care math doesn’t add up
Tom Betlach calls himself a “numbers geek,” which is a really good thing considering he’s in charge of managing Arizona’s Medicaid system while the state’s finances are in the gutter and while the federal government is requiring an even larger investment in health care.
Arizona will join multistate health care lawsuit
Rather than strike out on its own, Arizona will join a lawsuit filed by 15 other states against the federal government over the landmark health care bill passed by Congress.
AHCCCS: Health care bill to cost AZ more than $1B per year
The landmark health care bill passed by Congress is expected to cost Arizona more than $1 billion a year, according to a study by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.
GOP budget plan includes more than $1B in cuts
Details of the Republican budget plan given to majority party lawmakers this week show they and Gov. Jan Brewer aim to close a nearly $2.7 billion budget gap with more than $1.1 billion in cuts and wholesale elimination of a number of state programs.
Federal healthcare plan to cost Arizona $542M per year
The U.S. Senate healthcare bill is expected to provide medical coverage for as many as 1 million uninsured Arizonans, but it would leave the state scrambling to come up with an estimated $3.8 billion to pay for it.