Medicaid Stimulus Money

Governor Perdue wants to divert Medicaid stimulus money to support the budget shortfall.

By: Tina Tyus-Shaw | WSAV-TV
Published: March 20, 2009

President Obama's federal stimulus package includes nearly 700 million dollars for healthcare, specifically Medicaid. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has made a bold proposal to shift money allocated for Medicaid and use it to pay for other shortfalls in the state budget. St. Joseph's/Candler President & CEO Paul Hinchey says the Governor's plan will end up costing the people most in need of quality healthcare. "For every that is diverted from Medicaid there's 3 dollars that's lost at the federal level. So the overall loss to the state for Medicaid recipients and hospitals and providers is a little over 500 million dollars, and that's just not palatable for any of us to accept. We just can't service the patients with that type of cut.” Here's the response News 3 received from the Governor's Office. "Governor Perdue proposed a reasonable solution to the state's long-term Medicaid funding problem, which would have resulted in increased reimbursements for hospitals and other providers that treat Medicaid patients. Hospitals have refused to even consider the plan." Hinchey says if the governor's proposal is approved it could cause deep cuts at Saint Joseph's/Candler. " It’s all of our outreach areas that we have in this community. Cuyler Brownsville and Garden City, The Good Samaritan Clinic, Georgia Infirmary. and it breaks our hearts to have to even think about that." The list goes on, but Hinchey says he's received great support from Savannah's Legislative Delegation. Late Thursday the House version of the budget...18.5 billion dollars passed. Much of that money will help balance the state's Medicaid budget. The Senate still has to vote on it.

Medicaid Stimulus Money

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