PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Governor Raimondo, along with health and business leaders, today expressed support for the Reinventing Medicaid proposal that is before the House Finance Committee, as part of the Governor's FY 2017 jobs plan.
"Thanks to recommendations from the Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid, our state is positioned to save money without cutting eligibility or reducing benefits," Raimondo said. "Medicaid accounts for nearly thirty cents of every state taxpayer dollar, and before I took office, Medicaid was growing faster than the rest of the budget and faster than inflation. The proposal under consideration today will keep us going in the right direction."
When Raimondo took office, the most recent available data showed that Rhode Island was second in the nation in Medicaid spending per enrollee. Due to reforms in her FY 2016 budget, the state is now on track to save $75 million this year. Had government leaders chosen to do nothing last year and this year, projections show that state spending on Medicaid would have grown to more than $1 billion in FY 2017.
"Since day one, the Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid has focused on spending Medicaid dollars more thoughtfully and protecting benefits for Rhode Island's most vulnerable residents," Brown University's Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice Chair and Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid Co-Chair Ira Wilson, MD, MSc said. "The new initiatives in Governor Raimondo's FY 2017 budget are consistent with these priorities and have my full support. These are critical investments that will lead to better outcomes and a higher level of quality for Medicaid recipients and help spark transformation across Rhode Island's entire health care system. By making these important investments now, Rhode Island will reap the benefits of a better coordinated, more attentive Medicaid system for years to come."
"The Reinventing Medicaid Act of 2015 is transforming the delivery of health care in Rhode Island and positioning our state as a leader at the national level," Care New England President and CEO and Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid Co-Chair Dennis Keefe said. "The additional, leading-edge recommendations in Governor Raimondo's FY 2017 budget proposal build on these successes with critical investments that move us even closer to a system that pays for better quality, better outcomes and better value. The savings these investments produce will free up funds to invest in our economic future that wouldn't be possible if we were choosing an easier path of straight cuts or restrictions on eligibility."
"Improving health care outcomes for all Rhode Islanders while seeking to better contain costs is critical to the well-being of the state and a priority for the Rhode Island Foundation," Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg said. "The proposed budget, built on the Governor's Reinventing Medicaid initiatives, can make real strides to provide people with better care leading to healthier lives."
"The Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN) (Inc.) is pleased that Governor Raimondo's FY 2017 budget will support home and community-based care initiatives including patient and consumer-centered care, which will allow many Rhode Islanders to live healthier and more productive lives," Rhode Island Parent Information Network Executive Director Stephen Brunero said. "In particular, the $1.5 million in additional Medicaid funding to expand access to peer recovery coaches and addressing the needs of individuals through a peer-to-peer model makes sense for all Rhode Islanders with special health care needs."
"Business owners stand to benefit greatly from Governor Raimondo's Reinventing Medicaid reforms," R&R Machine Industries President Roland J. Legare said. "We can all agree that when we keep people healthier, we create a more productive workforce and help manage the rising cost of care. And it just makes sense that by reining in spending and shifting the entire health care system toward a structure that pays for better outcomes and better, more coordinated care, Rhode Island is setting conditions that foster a greater level of predictability in health care spending for everyone."
For more information on Reinventing Medicaid, please see the link below.
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