Groups urge regulators to reject Utah Medicaid waiver request

Medicaid advocates are urging federal regulators to reject Utah's request to pare down coverage for children and charge co-pays in the state-federal program for low-income Americans.

The request would "remove important protections that help ensure low-income children have access to affordable care," says a letter sent Wednesday to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The letter is signed by 18 groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Utah wants to be able to limit Medicaid's Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment benefit for children. The state proposed to set up a prioritized list when growth in per capita Medicaid spending outpaces the state budget.

"During an economic recession," the letter states, "the need for Medicaid grows and overall spending on Medicaid will grow… Thus, this benefit will be triggered at the time of greatest need for children."

The letter also objects to the proposal's request for providers to be able to impose co-payments as "client incentives" aimed at changing beneficiaries' behavior. And it urges Sebelius to reject a proposal to give providers the right to disenroll beneficiaries who fail to "keep a good relationship" with their doctor.

---