KVH Members Quoted in Medicaid Article

Aug 9th, 2010

An article on legislative efforts to reduce costs in Kentucky’s Medicaid program in the August 8 edition of The Courier-Journal featured quotes from several Kentucky Voices for Health members.

“The first rule is do no harm,'' said Rich Seckel, KVH Co-Chair and director of the Kentucky Equal Justice Center. “If we approach it carefully, we may be able to get good results without doing harm.

“For example, the state should consider expanding Medicaid services at home or in the community instead of providing more costly care in facilities such as nursing homes. It's not something you can do overnight,” Seckel said. “But it may be the most cost-effective practice.”

KVH member Cathy Allgood Murphy, with AARP of Kentucky, said that Kentucky is eligible for additional federal dollars to expand community services for the elderly and disabled under health care reform. “There's a lot we can do,” she said. “There are opportunities.”

Murphy said she hopes the task force seeks comment from advocacy groups as it meets over the next five months. She said she is encouraged to see legislators paying closer attention to Medicaid. “It is such a big part of the budget,” Murphy said. “A lot of jobs depend on Medicaid. It is health care for so many Kentuckians.”

Steve Shannon, a KVH member and Executive Director of the Kentucky Association of Regional Programs, noted that prescription drug coverage and mental health treatment are not “optional'' benefits. He said people who can't get mental health care or the medications they need wind up in emergency rooms, jails or elsewhere.

Shannon said he hopes lawmakers will consider small changes in programs that could add up to big savings. For example, he said, many people who seek mental health treatment also have untreated physical ailments, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. They could be easily treated by a primary care physician at mental health centers, but the state Medicaid program doesn't fund such positions. So many of their patients wind up at emergency rooms — the costliest option — for treatment of physical symptoms, he said.

“We could do all sorts of physical care for the people we see,” Shannon said. “We can help.”

Read the full Courier Journal article here.

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