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Get active This
Legislative Season!
Welcome to a new year! As
many of you know, this new year also brings with it a new
Legislative session. There are several issues that our state
representatives will discuss this spring regarding health care.
One issue, in particular, about medical care for needy patients
is something that I sincerely hope you petition your
representative to support.
I am referring to the
Medicaid Medically Needy program that our legislators funded in
2008. Without intervention, it will no longer be funded.
Medically Needy helps support those residents who are disabled
or severely ill but do not qualify for Medicaid to pay their
medical bills. The program is often called "share of cost"
because a patient must have a certain amount of medical bills
that he or she is paying before the patient can seek Medically
Needy funds.
Many of the patients who
have benefited from Medically Needy in our area used to have
employment and health insurance. However, their injuries and
illnesses forced them to quit working, leaving them with no way
to cover the costs of their health care.
The legislation for this
program will sunset if legislators do not reauthorize the
program this year. In addition, unless our representatives
identify a clear and recurring funding stream for Medically
Needy, it will always be in danger of elimination due to budget
cuts in these difficult financial times.
Since the state of Florida
is in such serious economic shape, new funds are needed to
protect the viability of the Medically Needy program. The one
opportunity that seems possible to pass but will require public
support is a $1 tobacco user fee increase. Florida is the fourth
lowest state in the nation in user fees for tobacco. A $1
increase would put Florida about in the middle of all states and
could be used to help fund the Medically Needy program for years
to come, as well as other vital health care initiatives.
Please help us support
these programs by contacting your representatives and let them
know how vital these health care programs are to our community.
To learn more about Lee
Memorial Health System and our 2009 Legislative Priorities,
please click
here.
Jim Nathan, LMHS President
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