Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri (R) has canceled plans to hire a private consulting firm to lead the state's massive Medicaid overhaul under the so-called "global Medicaid waiver," and instead will use a team of state employees to provide oversight, the Providence Journal reports (Peoples, Providence Journal, 3/3).
Under the agreement that Carcieri negotiated with CMS last year, the state will limit Medicaid spending to $12.4 billion through 2013. In exchange for capping spending, the state will receive broad authority to change services, such as nursing home care; subsidized transportation for the elderly and beneficiaries with disabilities; health insurance for low-income children and parents; and prescription drug coverage for seniors. State Department of Human Services Associate Director Murray Blitzer said that if the state runs out of its allotted funds before the five-year mark, it will lose matching federal funds, which would force the state to pay the program's full cost or cut services (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/5). According to a timeline released on Monday by Carcieri's office, Rhode Island Medicaid beneficiaries could begin noticing changes by June 1.
Amy Kempe, a spokesperson for Carcieri, on Monday said, "The [state] Department of Human Services is moving ahead with a very aggressive plan to get the right people in place to implement the waiver," noting that 49 job openings will be advertised between March 4 and April 1.