Showing posts with label Medicaid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medicaid. Show all posts
Guest Column From State Representative Peter Beck
Efficiency is a Vital Part of Government Accountability
As a small business owner of nearly 20 years, I understand the importance of condensing spending during a recession and saving in a prosperous economy. Businesses routinely tighten their expenditures to fit a tough budget, and likewise, our state government should make the same sacrifices and maintain a high standard of fiscal responsibility.
However, rather than examining spending and reducing waste, many lawmakers in the Statehouse continue to channel tax dollars into unnecessary, inefficient or ineffective programs while handing the taxpayers the bill. Consequently, families and businesses felt the sting of our state’s high-tax, anti-growth policies this past Tax Day when they were forced to surrender additional funds as a result of House Bill 318’s tax increase.
I believe that rather than relying on the citizens and small businesses of Ohio to sustain our government bloat, we have a responsibility to ensure that the dollars we do spend are successful and streamlined. In an effort to reduce the burden on our already overwhelmed taxpayers, House Republicans proposed the “Future of Ohio” government reform package to make Ohio’s government more cost-effective and accountable. This package of 10 bills would trim waste from the budget while focusing state spending on the programs and services that Ohioans have come to rely on.
One of our caucus’s cost-containment measures is a bill to streamline Ohio’s more than 300 boards and commissions, while eliminating waste within state agencies. House Bill 25 was introduced in February 2009 by Representative John Adams (R-Sidney) to ensure that the taxpayers are not paying the government more than they should. It would consolidate the number of executive cabinet departments from 24 to 11 (compared with the federal government’s 15 departments) based on similar functions and missions. Had this legislation been enacted, it could have saved $1 billion annually and could have filled Ohio’s budget deficit without raising taxes or accruing more debt.
Continuing our caucus’s commitment to a cost-efficient, accountable state government, Representative Barbara Sears (R-Maumee) introduced House Bill 240 to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse from Ohio’s Medicaid system. This legislation takes into account the more than $400 million in suggested savings that were found by the Ohio auditor of state in 2006 and would have helped to save $122 million each year. Unfortunately, this vital efficiency measure has remained stalled in committee for months.
These bills would have required state lawmakers to look at internal waste before asking you, the taxpayer, to relinquish more of your hard-earned income. Although the House majority has refused to allow committee votes on these proposals, my Republican colleagues and I continue to fight for solutions that will not only render immediate savings but also fundamentally improve the structure of state government.
Ohio’s continuous growth of spending is unsustainable without also squeezing the taxpayers for every penny they have. With an impending $8 billion budget deficit, lawmakers need to start working today to prepare for what we already know will be an excruciatingly painful budget next year. As state representative of the 67th Ohio House District, I will continue to work on your behalf toward a more efficient, effective state government.
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Rep. Beck may be reached by phone at (614) 644-6027 or in writing to State Representative Peter Beck, 77 South High Street, 10thfloor, Columbus, OH 43215. He is also available via e-mail at district67@ohr.state.oh.us.
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Pain in the…
By Jan Beedle
My crucial appointment with a pain management specialist was at 11 a.m. on a Friday in April. I decided to arrive at 10:30 a.m. to deal with the usual paperwork for a new patient. Due to one delay after another, I don’t think it mattered that much. I wasn’t called into the inner sanctum until 12:30 p.m. Meantime, the receptionist called for Cindy and two Cindys collided in the doorway. They could have left in worse shape than before.
Noticing on the paperwork that the office charges if a patient is 15 minutes late, I wondered, what about if the reverse was true?
After turning in an hour’s worth of paperwork, the receptionist called me to fill out more of the white stuff. Mind you, I was there for leg and hip pain. By the time I left, I suffered from leg, hip, back and neck pain. The chairs in the stuffy waiting room were not built for longevity. My body was molding into the chair.
The door from the inner offices burst open. A well-dressed, but rumpled street clothes exclaimed to the outer staff, “Off to lunch; outa here.” Guess this is what is referred to as pain management.
In these tight quarters, I noticed waiting patients hacking and sneezing. I realized I could leave with Asiatic Flu, hives, along with the back and neck pain, but my leg and hip pain might be gone.
A dapper dandy entered the picture. He carried an expanded matching briefcase. After a wink and a few coos, the aggressive young sales representative sailed into the offices. This led me to question which was more important – medicare, Medicaid payments or drug freebies?
Ah, a patient with crutches hobbled out to set up a follow-up appointment or preferably, knee surgery. Receptionist informed him he might have to wait and call back to enlist the services of his favorite surgeon, while he recovered from heart surgery. Whaa-aa-a?
A pleasant smiling face ushered me into a small room at 12:30 p.m. where I waited another 20 minutes, after answering the same questions I submitted previously on the lengthy paperwork. At last, a comfortable chair and another upon which to rest my swollen feet.
At this office, I didn’t have to disrobe, wrap myself in a piece of stiff cotton, exposing my body, as I jumped onto a cold examining table four feet higher than I could step. I usually devised a way to climb the obstacle, exposing more skin than I hoped. The door would swing open at that moment, with an, “Are you decent? At least, I didn’t have to face that question on this day.
The assistant stated, “I need to go over a few items with you. Remember, you can’t take narcotics from any other doctor while coming to our facility or you’ll be promptly dismissed.” Really, didn’t know I had been seen by a doctor or accepted.
I spoke, “If I had gotten the first narcotic from you, I wasn’t aware of it.”
My mind raced to the rest of the day and the weekend. My sister and niece to be picked up at the Dayton Airport at 3 p.m. and are staying with us through the weekend; granddaughter’s wedding is Saturday; our sixteen-year-old cat with kidney failure and diarrhea; our twelve-year-old dog upchucking this morning…could I deal with much more? Hoping to be pain-free by now, I pictured myself struggling to walk down the aisle or shoeless.
I made it through the doctor’s visit without a hitch. He set me up with a painkiller to last until after the injection, which was to be the following Thursday. The PT set me up for my first PT session the next morning.
Thursday morn, Hubby and I showed up at the appropriate time at the Dayton Mall office. Doors were locked tightly and no lights. A nurse saw us trying to get in and said that no one was there on Thursdays. We went to use the phone at Urgent Care and the receptionist offered to call to rectify the situation. Apparently, someone or someones goofed, because Dr. only gave injections on Fridays at this office. I called when home to reset. Personal obligations took priority until April 23 at 9:15 a.m. I’ll reschedule PT after the pain subsides. Watching great-grandson tomorrow and a once-a-year writers seminar the next Friday. Hope I have enough painkillers to make the date. By now, I’m prepared for a nervous breakdown…trauma, trauma.
After reading the AARP magazine from a year ago (only one of two) in the waiting room, I realized the need to reform health care was surprisingly accurate.
Through my personal experience, sounds like some infrastructure is needed in the business of turning out healthier bodies. Due to lack of health care professionals, patient overload, a ton of paperwork and time limitations, Urgent Care becomes any old time care.
Finding out the basic doctor took a much-needed week’s vacation, I fear catch-up took its toll. Could a physician ever catch up? He needs a rest occasionally to keep alert and geared to patient needs.
The AARP article claims that Americans spend more time and dollars on health care than on food, clothing and housing; they spend five times what they spend on gasoline and oil.
Can patients afford to take time off work for Physical Therapy, doctor appointments and other treatments? With lay-offs and job loss looming, this is not a good idea. These people are twice as likely to suffer bouts of depression, heart attacks and strokes. Pain can cause people to “feel guilty, ashamed and demoralized.”
Meanwhile, I’ll deal with the waits like everyone else and accept the fact that I am fortunate for the health care I do receive. Thanks to all the physicians, nurses, technicians and other health care workers for the effort to continue to provide the best available health care in the world. It all boils down to the fact that coordinating and communicating these efforts in our overpopulated country is becoming more of a chore.
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[More]
By Jan Beedle
My crucial appointment with a pain management specialist was at 11 a.m. on a Friday in April. I decided to arrive at 10:30 a.m. to deal with the usual paperwork for a new patient. Due to one delay after another, I don’t think it mattered that much. I wasn’t called into the inner sanctum until 12:30 p.m. Meantime, the receptionist called for Cindy and two Cindys collided in the doorway. They could have left in worse shape than before.
Noticing on the paperwork that the office charges if a patient is 15 minutes late, I wondered, what about if the reverse was true?After turning in an hour’s worth of paperwork, the receptionist called me to fill out more of the white stuff. Mind you, I was there for leg and hip pain. By the time I left, I suffered from leg, hip, back and neck pain. The chairs in the stuffy waiting room were not built for longevity. My body was molding into the chair.
The door from the inner offices burst open. A well-dressed, but rumpled street clothes exclaimed to the outer staff, “Off to lunch; outa here.” Guess this is what is referred to as pain management.
In these tight quarters, I noticed waiting patients hacking and sneezing. I realized I could leave with Asiatic Flu, hives, along with the back and neck pain, but my leg and hip pain might be gone.
A dapper dandy entered the picture. He carried an expanded matching briefcase. After a wink and a few coos, the aggressive young sales representative sailed into the offices. This led me to question which was more important – medicare, Medicaid payments or drug freebies?
Ah, a patient with crutches hobbled out to set up a follow-up appointment or preferably, knee surgery. Receptionist informed him he might have to wait and call back to enlist the services of his favorite surgeon, while he recovered from heart surgery. Whaa-aa-a?
A pleasant smiling face ushered me into a small room at 12:30 p.m. where I waited another 20 minutes, after answering the same questions I submitted previously on the lengthy paperwork. At last, a comfortable chair and another upon which to rest my swollen feet.
The assistant stated, “I need to go over a few items with you. Remember, you can’t take narcotics from any other doctor while coming to our facility or you’ll be promptly dismissed.” Really, didn’t know I had been seen by a doctor or accepted.
I spoke, “If I had gotten the first narcotic from you, I wasn’t aware of it.”
My mind raced to the rest of the day and the weekend. My sister and niece to be picked up at the Dayton Airport at 3 p.m. and are staying with us through the weekend; granddaughter’s wedding is Saturday; our sixteen-year-old cat with kidney failure and diarrhea; our twelve-year-old dog upchucking this morning…could I deal with much more? Hoping to be pain-free by now, I pictured myself struggling to walk down the aisle or shoeless.
I made it through the doctor’s visit without a hitch. He set me up with a painkiller to last until after the injection, which was to be the following Thursday. The PT set me up for my first PT session the next morning.Thursday morn, Hubby and I showed up at the appropriate time at the Dayton Mall office. Doors were locked tightly and no lights. A nurse saw us trying to get in and said that no one was there on Thursdays. We went to use the phone at Urgent Care and the receptionist offered to call to rectify the situation. Apparently, someone or someones goofed, because Dr. only gave injections on Fridays at this office. I called when home to reset. Personal obligations took priority until April 23 at 9:15 a.m. I’ll reschedule PT after the pain subsides. Watching great-grandson tomorrow and a once-a-year writers seminar the next Friday. Hope I have enough painkillers to make the date. By now, I’m prepared for a nervous breakdown…trauma, trauma.
After reading the AARP magazine from a year ago (only one of two) in the waiting room, I realized the need to reform health care was surprisingly accurate.
Through my personal experience, sounds like some infrastructure is needed in the business of turning out healthier bodies. Due to lack of health care professionals, patient overload, a ton of paperwork and time limitations, Urgent Care becomes any old time care.
Finding out the basic doctor took a much-needed week’s vacation, I fear catch-up took its toll. Could a physician ever catch up? He needs a rest occasionally to keep alert and geared to patient needs.
The AARP article claims that Americans spend more time and dollars on health care than on food, clothing and housing; they spend five times what they spend on gasoline and oil.
Can patients afford to take time off work for Physical Therapy, doctor appointments and other treatments? With lay-offs and job loss looming, this is not a good idea. These people are twice as likely to suffer bouts of depression, heart attacks and strokes. Pain can cause people to “feel guilty, ashamed and demoralized.”
Meanwhile, I’ll deal with the waits like everyone else and accept the fact that I am fortunate for the health care I do receive. Thanks to all the physicians, nurses, technicians and other health care workers for the effort to continue to provide the best available health care in the world. It all boils down to the fact that coordinating and communicating these efforts in our overpopulated country is becoming more of a chore.
Current Congressional Health Care Proposals Don't Constitute 'Reform', Are Bad for Ohio
Like many of you, I have been following the national healthcare debate for the past several weeks, as the decisions made in Washington, D.C. will have a major impact on our state and its citizens. As legislative leaders work to reconcile the differences between the reform bills passed by House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, serious concerns are being raised about the potential costs to the states as well as proposals involving Medicaid and other health services.I, too, am troubled by the proposals currently under consideration and the effects they could have on families, businesses and our state as a whole. That is why I have introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 24, which urges the members of Ohio’s Congressional Delegation to oppose the federal healthcare bill.
While I believe that many reasons exist for Ohio’s Congressional representatives to vote against the healthcare bill, I am particularly concerned about the backroom deals that have been struck, the use of taxpayer funding for abortions as well as the high costs that could threaten Ohio’s future fiscal stability.
One of the main features of both reform bills is a requirement for states to expand Medicaid. Unfortunately, how states will pay for these additional people has not yet been determined. A publication by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures estimates this proposed expansion of Medicaid could cost the state $349 million for calendar years 2017 through 2019, a move that could result in tax increases or severe cuts to other state programs in order to keep a balanced budget.
Ohio spent $4.5 billion in state funds in fiscal year 2008 on Medicaid – roughly 22 percent of the state money in the General Revenue Fund. Placing new Medicaid mandates on our state without covering the increased costs would place even more pressure on our budget, which is already stretched thin due to the economic challenges we are facing. The current state budget was balanced with billions of dollars in one-time funds, money that will not be available when we begin deliberations next year on the state budget for fiscal years 2012-2013. The additional costs from healthcare reform would only exacerbate this problem.
In addition, the Senate version of the bill contains what some people have termed the “Cornhusker kick-back” – a provision that would have Ohio and other states paying for Nebraska’s Medicaid enrollees to the tune of millions of extra dollars. Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska worked out a deal where in exchange for his “yes” vote on the bill, Nebraska received a permanent exemption from the state share of Medicaid expansion, which means taxpayers from the other 49 states will be on the hook for an additional $45 million in the first decade. Nelson and Sen. Carl Levin from Michigan also worked to insert a provision in the bill that will exempt non-profit insurers in their states from an excise tax. This unequal treatment of the states when it comes to doling out federal resources is outrageous and these sweetheart deals should be removed before final passage of the bill.
The Senate version of the healthcare reform bill also contains a provision that would use taxpayer dollars to fund insurance programs that cover abortions – a change to long-standing state and federal policies. Ohioans have overwhelmingly opposed the use of tax dollars to fund abortions in the past – a study by Ohio Right to Life found that 70 percent of Ohioans agree that their tax dollars should not be used to pay for abortions. It is my hope that legislative leaders will recognize this and remove this language from the bill.
The bottom line is this, the proposals currently under consideration by the Congress are not reform at all, and states such as Ohio could be saddled with tax increases and burdensome mandates as a result. Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 sends a message to those in Congress that they should delay a vote until changes are made that will bring about true reforms.
I would encourage everyone who cares about the future of health care in our country to contact their representatives in Congress and voice their opinions about the proposals under consideration. You can find contact information for your Congressperson or U.S. Senator by going to www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 has been assigned to the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, and I will be sure to keep you updated on its progress through the Legislature. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions or concerns about any state-related matter. You can reach my office by phone at (614) 466-9737, by e-mail at SD07@senate.state.oh.us or by writing State Senator Shannon Jones, Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Representative Beck Announces Passage of State Income Tax Increase
COLUMBUS— State Representative Peter A. Beck (R- Mason) today opposed the Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of House Bill 318, which would suspend the last installment of the income tax reductions set forth in 2005.
Under current law, state income tax rates are to be reduced by a total of 21 percent over a five-year period, according to House Bill 66 of the 126th General Assembly. Governor Strickland and House Democrats have supported a freeze of the tax reforms, which would retroactively increase the tax burden on Ohio’s families by 4.2 percent in 2009.
“This legislation is bad not only for the people of Ohio, but for small businesses as well,” Beck stated. “We are taking more money from families when they are already tightening their belts in this tough economic time.”
In addition, House Bill 318 would reduce the salaries of state legislators by 5 percent, a proposal initially championed by Representatives Seth Morgan (R-Huber Heights) and Terry Boose (R-Norwalk) in June of this year. The salary reductions would be effective starting in 2011, as permitted by the Ohio Constitution.
House Bill 318 was initiated to fill an $851 million budget deficit caused by the failure of the video lottery terminals (VLT) provision included in July’s biennial budget. House Republicans have expressed concern that the bill imposes a higher tax burden and continues the expansion of government without providing for any cost-efficiency measures.
In an effort to provide sustainable changes to fill the budget deficit, House Republicans proposed amendments to House Bill 318 on the House floor that would streamline government agencies and consolidate spending; minimize waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system; remove the provision that calls for a tax increase; allow local school boards to decide whether or not to accept unfunded state mandates; create a committee to maximize hospital employment and sustainability; prevent taxpayers from being retroactively penalized by a state income tax increase; and reduce bonuses for House committee vice-chairs and ranking members. These suggestions were rejected by House Democrats.
“We should be looking at cutting spending and consolidating government, not asking the taxpayers to bear the burden of these tax increases,” Beck said.
House Bill 318 passed from the House by a 55-44 vote. The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
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