House and Senate budget writers are already trying to make ends meet under a very tight biennial state budget. Legislators are weighing a number of options to retool the current program and they are looking to the medical profession for guidance and advice. The growing number of uninsured, escalating practice expenses and unsustainably low reimbursement rates are forcing many physicians to leave the program or limit their participation. The Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committee Chairs, Houston Senator Rodney Ellis and Rep. Rob Junell, have appointed a special Medicaid joint committee to consider these issues. Houston Representatives Kyle Janek MD and Garnet Coleman are members.
Plans can thwart electronic claims submissions by requiring paper attachments.
There are no provisions for after hours or weekend verification of eligibility so legitimate claims go unpaid. The burden of coordinating of benefits is often placed on the physician.