From the Los Angeles Daily News:

Organizations representing people who are elderly and disabled are suing the state of California over a planned 10 percent cut in payments for Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the federal Medicaid program.

Plaintiffs say the $544 million in cuts are placing an unacceptable burden on the state’s most vulnerable people, who are already being turned away from pharmacies, hospitals and other services because of low reimbursement rates. The cuts took effect July 1.

“People in the community with disabilities have a right to live as independently as possible,” said Norma Jean Vescovo, executive director of the Living Center of Southern California.

Without consistent medication, some of her clients — adults with a range of disabilities — will be unable to hold down jobs for which they were trained, Vescovo said. Some could end up in hospitals or nursing homes, which in the end, costs taxpayers more.

State officials say the cuts “comply with applicable laws.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 12th, 2008 at 4:20 am and is filed under law, Medicaid/Medicare. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.