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January 30, 2008

Carcieri to discuss Medicaid, welfare reform plans

Governor Carcieri will discuss his plans for changing state Medicaid/Family Independence programs, which he says will produce savings that will be part of his fiscal 2009 state budget proposal.

The plans will be unveiled at 11:30 a.m. at the State House. The governor expects to submit the 2009 spending plan to the General Assembly this week.

The federal/state Medicaid health program is for low-income individuals and families and pays for such things as long-term care for seniors, primarily nursing homes, and helps people with disabilities, often in group homes.

Carcieri's office said the state departments of Human Services, Children, Youth and Families, Elderly Affairs, and Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals spend Medicaid money to support various state programs.

The Family Independence Program -- the state’s welfare program -- is run by the Department of Human Services.

“One example of the kind of reform I am talking about is in the area of long-term care,” Carcieri said in last week's State of the State address. “I know from experience that most seniors would prefer to stay in their homes, or be cared for by a loved one, rather than enter a nursing home. All the data shows that not only does it result in greater longevity and improved quality of life -- in fact it is less costly.”

Carcieri said he intends to change the state’s Medicaid program “from one centered on institutions and agencies to a system that focuses on the people who use it: our children, elderly, and those with disabilities.”

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

Posted by Jack Perry  at 7:02 AM | Permalink

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