Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Recent Budget News in Maryland, Utah
Summaries of recent news about proposed health care cuts in Maryland and Utah appear below.
- Maryland: Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Wednesday proposed reducing the state's operating budget by 1.3% to $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2010 to close an estimated $2 billion budget shortfall, the Baltimore Sun reports (Smitherman, Baltimore Sun, 1/22). Cuts proposed in the budget would delay an expansion of Medicaid to more than 70,000 childless adults in the state (Wagner/Helderman, Washington Post, 1/22). State lawmakers approved a multi-phase Medicaid expansion in 2007, and about 25,000 state residents have enrolled in the program since the first phase of the expansion for low-income children and their parents (Witte, AP/The Capital, 1/16). Benefits for childless adults were scheduled to be extended in July (Washington Post, 1/22). Lawmakers who support the expansion met with health advocates before the budget plan was released and called for full implementation. O'Malley said his proposed budget could change by April based on the amount of federal assistance the state receives from the economic stimulus package being debated in Congress (AP/The Capital, 1/16).
- Utah: Republican state lawmakers have proposed eliminating the Utah Department of Health and shifting its responsibilities to other agencies to help cut a combined $50 million from the Human Services and Health departments' budgets this fiscal year and $102 million from the FY 2010 budgets, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The plan would save $1.7 million in administrative costs by eliminating the director and division director budgets. Republican lawmakers said they were trying to eliminate administrative costs, rather than reduce programs. Department Director David Sundwall criticized the proposal and said that the health department is facing a disproportionate share of budget cuts. Sundwall said 68% of budget cuts to the two departments come from public health. Proposed cuts could result in the elimination of a pregnancy risk call line and an autism registry; a reduction in tobacco cessation, obesity and health promotion programs; and slower response times to disease outbreaks (May, Salt Lake Tribune, 1/21).
