Fw: Article on Medicaid reimbursement for schools

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[FND Heart Network] Fw: Article on Medicaid

Article on Medicaid

This is an interesting article by “Edweekâ€

Enjoy,

Judy

Published Online: December 27, 2007

Bush Administration to Limit Medicaid Payments to Schools

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" http://www.edweek.org/ew/contributors/the.associated.press.html " The

Associated Press

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The Bush administration issued a new rule Friday that eliminates Medicaid

reimbursement for certain transportation and administrative tasks undertaken

by schools on behalf of students with disabilities.

A wide range of medical services are furnished to students in schools.

Speech and physical therapy are typical examples. Medicaid, the government's

health insurance program for the poor, helps pay for those activities for

low-income children. It will continue to pay. However, the new rule will

restrict when schools can bill the federal government for clerical duties

associated with providing health care.

For example, schools can no longer expect Medicaid reimbursement for the

planning of student immunizations. Schools also won't get paid for

transporting students getting speech or physical therapy to school or back

home.

The savings to the federal government is projected at $3.6 billion over the

next five years. During that same period, the federal government will spend

an estimated $1.2 trillion on Medicaid.

Lawmakers were so concerned about the rule that they passed legislation this

past week that placed a six-month moratorium on it. More than 1,200 people

wrote in to comment on the proposal — most opposed. School principals and

superintendents said that the loss of money could mean that schools will

have to cut back on other programs. For example, one opponent said that

Medicaid reimbursement allows staff to attend workshops and purchase " needed

technology and materials to better educate our children. "

Medicaid officials replied that most of the comments validated their concern

that schools were improperly using Medicaid funding to pay for services

" that are clearly educational in nature. "

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not

be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1207 - Release Date: 1/2/2008

11:29 AM

[Guest guest]

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

[FND Heart Network] Fw: Article on Medicaid

Article on Medicaid

This is an interesting article by “Edweekâ€

Enjoy,

Judy

Published Online: December 27, 2007

Bush Administration to Limit Medicaid Payments to Schools

By HYPERLINK

" http://www.edweek.org/ew/contributors/the.associated.press.html " The

Associated Press

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

For more free articles, HYPERLINK

" https://c4.erightsweb.com/edweek/show/registration/registerUser.do?promoCod

e=freereg2 & sitecode=default " register or HYPERLINK

" http://www.edweek.org/login.html " login.

Article Tools

Washington

The Bush administration issued a new rule Friday that eliminates Medicaid

reimbursement for certain transportation and administrative tasks undertaken

by schools on behalf of students with disabilities.

A wide range of medical services are furnished to students in schools.

Speech and physical therapy are typical examples. Medicaid, the government's

health insurance program for the poor, helps pay for those activities for

low-income children. It will continue to pay. However, the new rule will

restrict when schools can bill the federal government for clerical duties

associated with providing health care.

For example, schools can no longer expect Medicaid reimbursement for the

planning of student immunizations. Schools also won't get paid for

transporting students getting speech or physical therapy to school or back

home.

The savings to the federal government is projected at $3.6 billion over the

next five years. During that same period, the federal government will spend

an estimated $1.2 trillion on Medicaid.

Lawmakers were so concerned about the rule that they passed legislation this

past week that placed a six-month moratorium on it. More than 1,200 people

wrote in to comment on the proposal — most opposed. School principals and

superintendents said that the loss of money could mean that schools will

have to cut back on other programs. For example, one opponent said that

Medicaid reimbursement allows staff to attend workshops and purchase " needed

technology and materials to better educate our children. "

Medicaid officials replied that most of the comments validated their concern

that schools were improperly using Medicaid funding to pay for services

" that are clearly educational in nature. "

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not

be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1207 - Release Date: 1/2/2008

11:29 AM