Posted on 07/09/2009 12:51:19 PM PDT by SmithL
California acted illegally by trying to cut Medi-Cal fees by 10 percent last year for doctors, pharmacists and others who treat 7.1 million poor people, a federal appeals court ruled today.
The decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was a victory for health professionals and their patients but a blow to the state, which is mired in a $26.3 billion budget deficit. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators have imposed further Medi-Cal reductions this year, which could be thwarted by the ruling.
"The cuts that the governor is attempting will also be stopped," said Lynn Carman, a lawyer for pharmacists who sued the state. He called the ruling "a victory for Medi-Cal beneficiaries who the governor has been trying to eradicate for the last two years."
State officials had no immediate comment.
The ruling requires the state to reimburse doctors, dentists, pharmacists, clinics and adult day health care centers by the amounts that the state cut from their fees July 1, 2008. The reductions expired March 1, when smaller cuts for various Medi-Cal providers took effect, prompting another round of lawsuits.
The state has estimated that a 10 percent fee reduction would save California $500 million a year.
In today's 3-0 decision, the court said California had violated a federal law that requires states to set rates at levels that will pay for quality care and lead to equal access to health services for poor people. The federal government pays half the costs of the Medicaid program, which is called Medi-Cal in California.
State health officials and legislators did not study how the cuts would affect Medi-Cal patients and acted entirely for economic reasons,
...Smith said the hardships suffered by Medi-Cal patients who lost medical care would outweigh any financial harm to the state.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Like they need any help.
The decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was a victory for health professionals and their patients but a blow to the state...
How many times can the people of CA be blown by the 9th circus before they get tired?
Whether you like the law or not is one thing, but the 9th (for once) didn't pull their ruling out of thin air.
Which section of the US Constitution grants federal government the right to regulate this?
I agree. Further, this is a blow to “national healthcare” schemes. The California cut in reimbursements would have resulted in further cost shifting and rationing. Maybe California should look very carefully at all the care provided to criminal aliens. Americans do not have the responsibility for another countries healthcare.
So just lay off more state worker slugs to make up the difference.
I’m sitting here stunned (stuned) that one out of every five people in California is on Medi-Cal. Can that be true? Illegals aren’t supposed to eligible, right? Does anyone know?
This is a GOOD thing. Why should doctors take less for seeing MediCal patients.
You take the gov’t money, play by the gov’t rules. That’s a lesson that’s lost on most people, especially those idiots who want the gov’t even more involved in healthcare.
I know many doctors simply will not treat Medicare/Medicaid patients.
Is that from the Constitution? I don't remember reading that. The federal government has no right to disburse health care money to the states. Furthermore, it has no right to collect tax money for that purpose.
I don’t disagree but the state should have never taken the money either.
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