Lawmakers approve contract on Medicaid
By The Associated Press
This article was published March 5, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.
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Arkansas lawmakers have approved a $220,000 contract with a consultant to review Medicaid and other public assistance programs, despite objections from Democrats over the way the agreement was handled.
The Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday approved a four-month contract with the Alexander Group LLC to review Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and child care assistance. It was approved on a 30-6 vote.
The firm is headed by Gary D. Alexander, who ran the Medicaid program in Rhode Island.
The contract’s approval comes as lawmakers consider an alternate to Medicaid expansion that would allow the state to use federal funds to purchase private insurance for the newly eligible.
Democrats on the panel said they were concerned the contract was approved without issuing a request for proposals.
Comments on: Lawmakers approve contract on Medicaid
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Jackabbott says... March 5, 2013 at 1:04 p.m.
Were there any bids taken for this?
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HappytobeHere says... March 5, 2013 at 3:01 p.m.
Republicans don't think they have to follow the rules when it comes to spending big money. It would be interesting to know who is getting the kickback from this contract.
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arkda3 says... March 5, 2013 at 4:18 p.m.
I could have sworn that State Law requires a Bid Process for that amount of money.
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DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... March 5, 2013 at 4:46 p.m.
Screwed.
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Reason says... March 5, 2013 at 5:21 p.m.
Beware of the Rhode Island waiver:
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Claims that Rhode Island’s global waiver has produced savings for the federal government and the state do not withstand scrutiny. The federal government is actually spending somewhat more on Rhode Island’s Medicaid program than it would in the absence of the global waiver. That is the opposite of what would occur under a Medicaid block grant, where states would be provided with significantly less federal funding than they would receive under current law.
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In addition, the state’s own savings since the start of the global waiver reflect not the waiver itself, but federal Recovery Act funding and the shifting to the federal government of some health care costs that the state previously paid for in full. Finally, the cost-containment mechanisms that the state has adopted under the global waiver could have been instituted without such a waiver, as other states have done.
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cbpp. org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3428
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DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... March 5, 2013 at 6:07 p.m.
Really screwed.
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