Who will be affected by proposed reforms to Medicaid law in North Carolina?
There is no shortage of political jokes, especially in an election year like this one. Politicians and government officials are often blamed for accomplishing nothing or criticized for enacting unpopular legislation. But the most frustrating thing is when a potentially disastrous change is proposed to a system that’s working fine—actually better than fine.
Such is the case with the proposed reform of North Carolina’s Medicaid law. Medicaid provides medical care to the poor, the majority of whom are children. The Medicaid system in NC is actually a nationally-recognized model of care delivery and is currently administered by Community Care of NC. In fact, other states send people to observe the CCNC system so they can return and duplicate it in their own state.
Politicians seeking to reform and privatize this model state-run system apparently don’t believe in the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Reform would replace the successful, low-overhead, government-run system with a private medical care system of multiple for-profit “middle men” entities, each operating independently and according to different rules.
Some critics believe Medicaid reform would be worse than mental health care reform for many of the same reasons–namely that the citizens served would be negatively affected by steps the private medical providers and agencies would need to take in order to make a profit. Such steps would likely include cutting benefits, restricting eligibility, and lowering payment to providers, collectively short-changing sick and needy children.
Many pediatricians, especially in poor areas where the majority of their patients are on Medicaid, would not be able to absorb the loss of income if payments for their services are lowered under a reformed system. Accordingly, they may be forced to limit the number of children they accept or may refuse to treat any Medicaid patients at all.
What would all this mean to you or your loved ones?
The attorneys at Monk Law Firm, PLLC are experts in Medicaid Eligibility Law, Estate Planning and Special Needs Planning. With offices in North Carolina and South Carolina, Monk Law Firm, PPLC services clients throughout Charlotte, Rock Hill, Fort Mill and the surrounding areas. Call 704-369-9977 (Charlotte, NC) or 803-594-4453 (Fort Mill, SC) today for a consultation, or contact the firm online here.