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Akron
Beacon Journal…
Kasich says Medicaid
to improve
Changes
would give seniors care options, Ohio governor says
By Cheryl Powell, Beacon Journal medical writer
Published on Thursday, Mar 17, 2011
CLEVELAND: Ohio seniors who need care through the state-run Medicaid
program should be able to get services in their homes or communities if
they want, Gov. John Kasich told a group of about 100 people during a
stop Wednesday.
The governor came to a nonprofit senior services campus called Fairhill
Partners to promote what are being billed by his administration as
''Medicaid modernization solutions'' within his two-year state budget
proposal.
His appearance in Northeast Ohio came one day after he unveiled his
budget plans, which include sweeping changes and cuts to everything
from local governments to public schools to fill an estimated $8
billion shortfall.
One goal in the budget, Kasich said, is to ''produce a better product
at a lower price'' by expanding options that let seniors covered by
Medicaid receive care at home or in the community, not just within
nursing homes.
''For too long, I believe, seniors have not had the choice to get
themselves placed in a setting where they're independent, healthier,
more comfortable, and where the taxpayers, quite frankly, save money at
the same time,'' Kasich said.
But some people fear spending cuts embedded in the state budget could
end up forcing seniors out of home-based programs and into more costly
nursing homes.
Ron Hill, executive director of the Western Reserve Area Agency on
Aging, said he's concerned about proposed cuts to Passport, a special
Medicaid waiver program that allows seniors who otherwise would need
nursing-home services to get care in their home.
The agency coordinates Passport and other services for seniors in
Medina, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties.
The governor's budget plan calls for a 15 percent cut in administrative
costs to the Passport program and an 8 percent reduction in
personal-care services offered to enrollees, Hill said.
''This is going to put a lot of seniors at risk for nursing homes,
hospitalizations and death,'' Hill said.
Ohio Medicaid Director John McCarthy said some select cuts to Passport
were needed because of the projected budget deficit. Other areas,
including nursing homes, also face reductions.
''There still is money in the system'' to adequately fund Passport, he
said.
Streamlined process
Kasich said the state plans to simplify the process for seniors who
otherwise would require nursing-home care to qualify for Passport and
related waivers, which could be streamlined into a single program.
About 1,900 Summit County residents are enrolled in Passport, according
to the Greater Akron-Canton Area Agency on Aging. Another 146 residents
are covered through an assisted-living waiver program.
Medicaid spends an average $4,463 per month for each senior in a
nursing home, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services. In comparison, the state spending per enrollee each month is
$1,869 for assisted living and $1,695 for Passport.
Medicaid increase
The governor's budget proposal includes a modest overall increase for
Medicaid, the public health insurance program for more than 2 million
low-income children and parents, and disabled and elderly residents,
including more than 88,000 Summit County residents.
Medicaid spending under the governor's budget plan is $18.8 billion
next fiscal year, an increase from $17.9 billion this year but less
than the initial trend estimate of $19.3 billion.
Those savings are achieved in part by proposals to reduce payments to
hospitals, nursing homes, community-based nursing and other providers.
Nursing-home cuts
''This notion they're doing everything by policy and modernizing and
reforming, the reality is these are just good, old-fashioned provider
cuts,'' said Peter Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health
Care Association, which represents the nursing-home industry.
Nursing homes are facing a $427 million cut over two years.
The cuts, he said, could cost 7,000 jobs statewide and affect quality
of care for patients.
Audience questions
During his appearance in Cleveland, Kasich took several questions from
the audience about his other budget plans.
He promoted his proposals to allow parents in failing schools to take
over the schools, to provide bonuses to teachers who do a good job and
to double funding for voucher programs that let parents enroll children
in private schools.
When asked about cuts to local governments, he said the entities have
to do a better job of ''reinventing themselves.''
He also said the state is giving local governments several new tools to
help reduce costs, including legislation that would limit the
bargaining power of public workers.
When an audience member accused him of being anti-union, Kasich
responded: ''I'm not against anything. I'm for making Ohio great.''
Read it at the Akron Beacon Journal
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