For all three years of my service in the Legislature, I have sought advice from health-care providers and assisted them in their dedication to providing services to West Virginians. I have not wavered in my efforts to improve the litigation climate in this state. Whether by pushing for medical liability reform in my freshman year or by being the only delegate from the district to vote for the Innocent Prescriber Act as it left the House of Delegates this year, I have tried to allow healthcare providers to remain in the state and provide the services we so desperately need.
In every instance, I have supported providers in their attempts to maximize federal matches to state funds for Medicaid. Last year I took a leap of faith with the outgoing secretary of DHHR when
he worked out waivers with the federal government to maximize Medicaid funding.
If I have done anything to hurt providers or clients of Medicaid, it was in voting "yes" for the budget bill this year. Many of my Republican colleagues voted against the bill specifically because of the $30 million under-funding by the state for Medicaid. This deliberate decision by the governor and Democratic Party leadership to underfund Medicaid meant that West Virginia would be giving up $85 million to $90 million of federal matching monies to provide services and more adequately reimburse those who provide services.
Considering that the healthcare providers' warnings and pleas about Medicaid funding were ignored by the new secretary of DHHR, the governor and the Democratic legislative leadership, you can imagine how much my concerns mattered on the subject.
The governor has no longrange plan for Medicaid and his administration has severely underestimated the repercussions of reimbursement cuts to healthcare providers. This course of action will result in nursing homes closing and serious threats to WVU Hospital in meeting its educational, clinical, and service to the state missions.
If he and the new secretary of DHHR are sincere in their desire to reform Medicaid, I am willing to help. However, there still is no plan, just cuts. Your editorial offers good advice in bringing the experts to the table, because the administration has demonstrated that they lack expertise in this field. Despite having my feelings hurt by your editorial, I took your advice and called many local and state healthcare providers in an effort, once again, to hear their concerns.
In closing, I want to make it perfectly clear the federal government has not changed Medicaid funding. West Virginia's federal match ratio has diminished slightly because our per capita income has risen slightly. The pain West Virginians will be facing due to Medicaid cuts came from decisions by state government to close the door on $90 million in federal funding.
Delegate Cindy Frich
R-Monongalia