South Florida Families React To Potential Medicaid Reform
MIAMI (CBS4) - Governor Rick Scott is expected to sign major Medicaid reform into law after the legislature passed it this weekend.
Medicaid accounts for one-third of the state budget. The changes could help pull Florida out of its budget hole but some families worry the cost is too high.
For the Pollock family, just getting dinner on the table would be nearly impossible without Medicaid.
Logan Pollock requires expensive therapies and treatments for autism and Tourette's syndrome.
"He throws himself down and hits himself in the head and bites his wrists," Logan's mother Judy told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
Medicaid covers most of the costs. But Logan's mom, Judy worries that his services could be cut with the likely overhaul of Florida's Medicaid program.
"It's really scary and we live on the edge all the time," she said.
Longtime attorney Mark Roseman specializes in the laws governing Medicaid. He explains that the bills the Governor is expected to sign into law will privatize Medicaid by putting it into the hands of HMOs, doctors and hospital networks. The goal will be to turn a profit- with the state getting to keep most of the money.
And he says HMO's could cut services to save money.
"That maintenance organization will tell the patient which doctor he can see, he will have control over what medicine that doctor can prescribe for the patient," Roseman told Zea.
South Florida Conservative leader Marcos Sendon believes privatizing Medicaid will make it stronger, and will help all Floridians by raising an estimated one billion dollar profit for the state.
"We must make these changes now, at this point it's a government guaranteed benefit that we cannot keep. the numbers don't add up," said Sendon.
Judy Pollock fears such a drastic overhaul will also haul away the quality of her son's healthcare. And that keeps her up at night.
"We just don't know what kind of life he's gonna have in anything happens to us you know?" said Pollock. "It's awful."
A major sticking point in the legislature's debate was whether the developmentally disabled population would be included. They are exempt and will operate for three years under an `I Budget,' which offers patients more flexibility.
The bills are waiting on the Governor's signature. Then the federal government would have to approve the changes before they can go into effect. If that happens, the State would start phasing in the program in July of 2012.
