Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar urged lawmakers not to abandon a plan to change to a system of managed patient care, a sweeping change that might be in jeopardy because of uncertain funding.
The Legislature’s contract review committee today temporarily blocked an $8.3 million, one-year contract renewal with a consulting firm that is helping Medicaid with the transition to regional care organizations, or RCOs.
Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, the committee chairman, said lawmakers are experiencing “sticker shock” on the cost of the RCO transformation.
“Quite frankly, the goal lines continue to be moved by the federal government,” Holtzclaw said.
Azar questioned that assertion and said she has always been clear that there would be implementation costs. She said no state could make such a sweeping change in Medicaid without using contractors.
Azar said the long-range outlook for the transition, to slow the growth in Medicaid costs by better care management, remained sound, …
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Medicaid chief urges lawmakers to stick with managed care plan