government
Texas doctors push for Medicaid reform and expansion
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 18, 2013
The Texas Medical Assn. adopted a resolution at its winter conference that calls on federal and Texas lawmakers to expand and reform the state’s Medicaid program.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, has refused to expand Medicaid on the grounds that the program is unsustainable. TMA President-elect Stephen Brotherton, MD, and other leaders in the association advised that state lawmakers look beyond expansion to help design a better program.
Dr. Brotherton said the program needs revisions to attract more physicians who will accept Medicaid patients. “The current system offers the promise of coverage without adequate funding to ensure access to care. It is fraught with exasperating, unyielding red tape,” he said.
The state society called for a comprehensive solution that would clear away such financial, administrative and regulatory hurdles, while drawing down more federal dollars to expand access to health care.
