MediCaid

At issue: President Bush has once again recommended the elimination of the reimbursement for transportation costs for health services delivered to Medicaid-eligible children; for school-based administration costs, which can include outreach for enrollment purposes; and for coordinating or monitoring of medical care. 
Local school districts in California received approximately $117 million for direct services and $176 million for administrative activities last year. Cutting these administrative and transportation reimbursements would severely hurt school districts’ abilities to provide needed services to students and could reduce the number of eligible children who are identified for Medicaid services.

CSBA’s position:
• We oppose any effort to eliminate reimbursement for school-based administration and transportation costs under Medicaid. School districts should not be treated differently than health clinics and should be guaranteed reimbursement for Medicaid-eligible services to children.
What California needs:
• Congressional support for Senate Bill 578 (Kennedy) and House Resolution 1017 (Dingell) to codify school districts’ authority to claim for school-based Medicaid expenses. 

Related link:
Read more about the issues @ www.csba.org/GR/Medicaid-IssuesBrief.pdf

Medicaid support is essential for school-based health services
Schools play a key role in identifying students who qualify for federally subsidized health insurance and connecting these children with appropriate school-based and community services. But for the second straight year, President Bush has recommended eliminating federal reimbursements for school-based health services, including transportation, and for the administrative costs of enrolling children and monitoring and coordinating their care. The president proposes cutting $3.6 billion in school-based Medicaid reimbursement over the next five years.

In their March 12-14 advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., members of CSBA’s Federal Issues Council told elected officials, policy-makers and Department of Education and White House staff that schools are legally entitled to Medicaid reimbursement for the critical health services they provide.

“We are opposed to cutting these reimbursements,” said FIC member Jill Wynns, a school board member in the San Francisco Unified School District. “Schools submitted $300 million in Medicaid claims last year. They are providing essential services for children who desperately need them.”

FIC members found some dedicated allies in the battle to preserve these reimbursements to schools. In meetings with Sen. Barbara Boxer and staff members working for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, FIC members found widespread support for continuing to provide this essential Medicaid reimbursement.

In the past, according to CSBA Assistant Executive Director for Governmental Relations RickPratt, the federal government has tried to eliminate reimbursement for school-based services by adopting regulations that make the services ineligible for Medicaid support. But Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Rep. John Dingell of Michigan have introduced bills that would prevent that.

“These bills would codify that schools are eligible for this reimbursement so the government can’t do an administrative end run to eliminate them,” Pratt said.