South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board

September 14, 2006

ISSUE: Health official gives an upbeat assessment on Medicaid reform.

With the Medicaid experiment in Broward and Duval counties off and running, the program's administrator must watch for snags, not read early signs of a smooth transition as a complete success.

Tom Arnold, the state's Medicaid chief, said that since the start of Medicaid reform on Sept. 1, his agency hasn't heard a single complaint from or about a program recipient having any problems. Maybe so, but Arnold would serve this experiment better by keeping an eye out for trouble, even if the first weeks of Medicaid's new tack in caring for the poor and elderly seem to be operating well enough.

Watchfulness is appropriate especially since several health-care advocates of Medicaid patients have painted a less rosy picture. They talk of recipients bewildered by a new process that requires them to choose among 13 health plans, not to mention the lack of basic information, such as which drugs are covered and limits the plans impose on care.

Florida has taken a bold step in addressing the increasing costs of Medicaid, a joint state and federal program that in recent years has seen its operating costs go through the roof. This month, the state began a new managed-care system involving 210,000 Medicaid recipients in Broward and Duval counties.

The hope is that the two-county pilot program will save money and enhance services. The fear is that it will leave those who need more extensive -- read expensive -- medical care in a lurch.

What is a certainty is that confusion often follows major changes in health-care programs. It occurred recently with the Medicare prescription drug program and it's very possible that there will be similar perplexity as the Medicaid pilot program continues.

The reform has put Florida in the national spotlight. So, sticking with an upbeat outlook can be tolerated to a point. Now, however, is not the time for a snap assessment that may ultimately come across as insensitive, or worse, dismissive.

BOTTOM LINE: It's still way too early to dismiss legitimate concerns about the change.



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We are interested in hearing from Medicaid Recipients in Broward County and Duval County. Please contact us by email at medicaidreform@pobox.com.

www.floridamedicaidreform.org