Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan are applauding a new report from Republican governors they say will help “increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the beleaguered Medicaid program.”
Hatch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, and Upton, the Republican chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the report from the governors’ public policy panel contains strategies and recommendations that will help their efforts in Congress to overhaul the healthcare program for the poor.
“Governors know what does and doesn’t work with Medicaid in their states. They are in the best position to help Congress fix this broken entitlement program,” Hatch said.
The two cited some of the policy recommendations included in the report as “smart and innovative.”
Among them: a lot more state flexibility in administering the program overall; tightening and simplifying eligibility requirements; more reasonable cost sharing for those able to pay; and more choice in coverage by leveraging the existing insurance marketplace.
Upton said the recommendations could lead to “a new partnership” with the states that protects taxpayer dollars while still improving “essential programs.”
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.