“MACPAC wants Congress to force states to disclose Medicaid financing streams”

“MACPAC wants Congress to force states to disclose Medicaid financing streams,” by Rebecca Pifer, HealthCareDive

“In a report to Congress released Tuesday, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, or MACPAC, recommended that lawmakers require states to submit an annual report on their Medicaid financing methods, including how states structure taxes on providers and how much funding comes from those taxes. States should also break down contributions on a provider-by-provider level, the commission said.”

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

It’s about time. States tax health and LTC providers, use the extra funds to leverage up their federal Medicaid match, and then kick back part of the “profits” to compensate the providers. This scam is Medicaid planning on a systemic scale. At least MACPAC is onto something worth shutting down this time. Recently, the Commission wanted to curtail Medicaid estate recovery, which would be as counterproductive as ending “provider taxes” would be worthwhile.