<US Politics> Montana to Eliminate O&P Medicaid Benefit
AOPA
Description
Collection
Title:
<US Politics> Montana to Eliminate O&P Medicaid Benefit
Creator:
AOPA
Date:
12/31/2002
Text:
Beginning on Feb. 1, 2003, the Montana Medicaid program will temporarily
eliminate its coverage of O&P, durable medical equipment and certain
other services beginning on Feb. 1, 2003 for all eligible beneficiaries
21 years of age and older. These benefit cuts will be effective from
Feb. 1 to June 30, 2003 to help alleviate an expected state budget
shortfall. The Montana Medicaid program is still statutorily mandated
to cover O&P services for those eligible beneficiaries under the age of
21.
Montana is now the second state that has announced a plan to eliminate
coverage for O&P services due to budget constraints. Massachusetts
officials announced earlier this year that the state will eliminate O&P
coverage under its Medicaid program.
As AOPA has previously stated on this Listserv and in other AOPA
publications, we view these cuts as extremely shortsighted. AOPA firmly
believes that cuts in O&P services will only lead to adverse patient
outcomes as well as cost shifting to other, more expensive covered
benefits such as physician or hospital services.
According to a recent Kaiser Foundation study, 15 states plan to reduce
benefits to Medicaid beneficiaries, 18 states plan eligibility cuts and
29 states plan provider payment cuts. The report, however, does not
outline which Medicaid benefits or provider payments will come under
attack. The Kaiser Foundation is a respected and independent source of
health care information and analysis for policymakers, the media, the
health care community and the general public.
AOPA strongly urges state O&P associations to explore whether their
states plan to cut O&P benefits or O&P provider payments. If you would
like a list of states considering various ways to reduce Medicaid
expenditures, please e-mail Walter Gorski, AOPA's Director of
Legislative Affairs, at <Email Address Redacted>
eliminate its coverage of O&P, durable medical equipment and certain
other services beginning on Feb. 1, 2003 for all eligible beneficiaries
21 years of age and older. These benefit cuts will be effective from
Feb. 1 to June 30, 2003 to help alleviate an expected state budget
shortfall. The Montana Medicaid program is still statutorily mandated
to cover O&P services for those eligible beneficiaries under the age of
21.
Montana is now the second state that has announced a plan to eliminate
coverage for O&P services due to budget constraints. Massachusetts
officials announced earlier this year that the state will eliminate O&P
coverage under its Medicaid program.
As AOPA has previously stated on this Listserv and in other AOPA
publications, we view these cuts as extremely shortsighted. AOPA firmly
believes that cuts in O&P services will only lead to adverse patient
outcomes as well as cost shifting to other, more expensive covered
benefits such as physician or hospital services.
According to a recent Kaiser Foundation study, 15 states plan to reduce
benefits to Medicaid beneficiaries, 18 states plan eligibility cuts and
29 states plan provider payment cuts. The report, however, does not
outline which Medicaid benefits or provider payments will come under
attack. The Kaiser Foundation is a respected and independent source of
health care information and analysis for policymakers, the media, the
health care community and the general public.
AOPA strongly urges state O&P associations to explore whether their
states plan to cut O&P benefits or O&P provider payments. If you would
like a list of states considering various ways to reduce Medicaid
expenditures, please e-mail Walter Gorski, AOPA's Director of
Legislative Affairs, at <Email Address Redacted>
Citation
AOPA, “<US Politics> Montana to Eliminate O&P Medicaid Benefit,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/220099.
