January 16, 2017      5:01 PM
Abbott letter to Congressional leaders fails to extend block grant concept
Experts in the field call Abbott’s letter ideological, rhetorical fluff with little basis in policy or reality for how those decisions will affect patients and those who serve them
Editor’s note: A
copy of Abbott’s letter is available to our subscribers at the end of this
story – SB
Gov. Greg Abbott
has offered his advice to Congressional leaders on the future of Obamacare,
and it doesn’t vary a lot from then-Rep. Lois
Kolkhorst’s, R-Brenham, floor speech five years ago touting the flexibility
and superiority of state block grants.
Abbott, in
a letter to Congressional leadership dated January 10, insisted Texas
was hamstrung by federal regulations, leaving the state to deal with ballooning
costs.
“I
encourage you and your colleagues to consider transitioning the Medicaid
program to a block grant program. The block grants should ensure states retain
maximum flexibility in designing their own program and provide some mechanism
to account for fluctuations in population growth, the economy and the rising
cost of health care,” Abbott said. “Those components are necessary to a sustainable
Medicaid program that produces greater health outcomes and protects taxpayers.”
The
letter has not been met with much enthusiasm by a number of health care
lobbyists.
By Kimberly Reeves
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