Government
Wyoming budget cuts threaten Medicaid doctor pay
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 6, 2009
Physicians in Wyoming are bracing for Medicaid fee cuts as part of $25 million in program reductions, a part of the $230 million in cuts proposed for the second year of the state's fiscal 2009-10 budget.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal asked state agencies to trim their budgets by 10% in response to a severe drop in tax revenues stemming from a two-thirds decline in natural gas prices since 2008, according to Freudenthal spokeswoman Cara Eastwood. The state budget depends heavily on taxes from minerals and other natural resources, she said. Wyoming Dept. of Health spokeswoman Kim Deti said the department had not yet decided how much of the $25 million cut would affect physician pay.
Freudenthal said the state had to make tough choices now instead of delaying the pain until later. "You can't cut more than $230 million out of one fiscal year's budget without affecting worthwhile programs, but it needs to be done."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/07/06/gvbf0706.htm.
