Jun. 27, 2017
HARRISBURG – Legislation by Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) to increase state health outcomes, while reducing costs incurred by taxpayers, was approved Monday by the House Health Committee.
House Bill 1354 would ensure Medical Assistance Programs would be operated under the approved budget through the Office of Independent Medical Assistance Director, which would be tasked with improving health outcomes of Pennsylvania residents enrolled in Medical Assistance Programs.
“So far this fiscal year, the Department of Human Services has overspent its $11.5 billion budget by more than $200 million. Furthermore, the department’s annual budget is expected to escalate by $3.8 billion over the next five fiscal years. This rapid increase in expenses can be traced back to the state’s Medical Assistance Programs,” Grove said. “House Bill 1354 would create an office geared toward providing budget predictability by providing increased health outcomes.”
The newly created Commonwealth office would operate independently of elected offices, much like the Independent Fiscal Office and the Office of Open Records. The director would be nominated by the governor and approved by the Senate in a nonpartisan manner. It would remove the politics from our health decisions.
The Office of Independent Medical Assistance Director would also be charged with increasing transparency in state government. The office would be required to post online on at least a monthly basis the number of Medicaid enrollees, costs and a cost analysis to compare budget funds and forecasted expenses. Additionally, the director would be required to present a mid-year review to the House and Senate Appropriations committees.
An amendment was added in the House Health Committee to facilitate the transfer of employees to the office and require the director work with the state treasurer to restructure our payments to provide better cash flow management.
The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
RepGrove.com /
Facebook.com/RepSethGrove