We urge you to reject any proposals to address the looming fiscall cliff which reduce or eliminate Medicaid provider assessments. These proposals do nothing to increase the efficiency of the program and only harm those who rely on Medicaid for access to quality health care and long-term services.
Given the benefit they bring to Medicaid providers and beneficiaries, these assessments are very common. By 2013, 49 states and D.C. will have at least one provider assessment program. Cutting or eliminating provider assessments while the economy continues to struggle threatens the still fragile state recoveries and the Medicaid safety net program.
These arbitrary cuts will harm the 60 million vulnerable Americans on Medicaid with no long term solution in sight.