Governors take hard look at Medicaid dollars, programs

Amidst continuing state budget pressures, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to reduce Medicaid spending by a hefty sum; Missouri's new governor pledges to reverse his predecessor's cuts; and in Kansas, program reforms are part of Gov. Brownback's agenda.

The Wall Street Journal: Cuomo Targeting Medicaid Spending
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is aiming to reduce the state's Medicaid spending by billions of dollars, exceeding the size of cuts to the program proposed in past years, according to individuals with knowledge of his budget (Gershman,  1/4).

The Associated Press: Economy Nixes Mo. Gov's Campaign Pledges
Nixon pledged to reverse Medicaid cuts made by his Republican predecessor that eliminated government funded health care for about 100,000 Missourians and reduced benefits for hundreds of thousands of others. He hasn't fulfilled that key pledge. Nixon did propose a partial restoration of the Medicaid cuts and an expansion of children's health coverage in 2009, but the Republican-led Legislature shot it down, citing long-term budgetary concerns. He didn't try again in 2010 (Lieb, 1/3).

Kansas Health Institute News Service: Brownback Agenda To Include Medicaid Reform
n an interview with the KHI News Service, Brownback said he wants to improve the efficiency of the program while delivering better coordinated and effective services to the more than 280,000 Kansans who depend on it (McLean, 1/3).