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In battle to cut Medicaid, Arizona faces new challenge
Now that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has said Arizona doesn’t need a waiver from the federal government to remove 250,000 patients from AHCCCS, the timing and mechanism used in removing those people will be key to a planned legal challenge from patients contending to be harmed by the cuts. Sebelius is flanked by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Despite strong criticism, jobs bill passes
The jobs bill, announced on Monday and debated fiercely since, has passed the Arizona House and the Senate, even as many legislators acknowledged its flaws.
Sebelius: Arizona doesn’t need waiver to cut 250,000 people from AHCCCS
Arizona officials who spent nearly a year railing against the federal government for not allowing the state to cut its Medicaid rolls got some startling news Tuesday: Federal permission isn’t necessary for the state to drop 250,000 people from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.
Lawmaker: Better screening for veterans would save AHCCCS millions
Changing procedures to identify military veterans eligible for federal medical benefits would save Arizona’s Medicaid system millions of dollars, a state lawmaker said.
State to feds: Medicaid advice didn’t help
Maybe if the letter had started more warmly, with something like, “Dear Jan,” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer would have responded less vehemently to the offer of assistance by Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It was one of those times when ‘every’ didn’t really mean every
Despite Gov. Jan Brewer’s insistence to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that Arizona had followed every single one of her suggestions for cutting Medicaid costs, AHCCCS still provides several optional services that could be eliminated without running afoul of federal law.
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.
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.
Ariz. cuts for education, health care face hearing
The state Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday holds a hearing likely to center on controversial funding cuts proposed by Gov. Jan Brewer to help balance the next state budget.
Economist: Ariz. spending cuts bad budget choice
An Arizona State University economist says spending cuts proposed by Gov. Jan Brewer to help balance the state budget would subtract more jobs from the state's economy than the alternative of raising taxes.
Arizona hospitals release financing proposal
The Arizona Hospitals and Healthcare Association is releasing some details of its financing proposal, that it says could help avoid a big cut in Medicaid enrollment due to the state's budget shortfall.
Brewer requests AHCCCS waiver
Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday formally requested a waiver from the federal government that would allow Arizona to cut Medicaid eligibility, which is prohibited by the 2010 federal health care law.
