Help us stop CMS from cutting Medicaid funding to schools

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its plan to eliminate reimbursements for certain school-based Medicaid services provided to students with disabilities. The proposed rule (CMS-2287-P) published in the Federal Register on September 7, 2007, would eliminate federal reimbursement under the Medicaid program for the costs of certain administrative activities (such as Medicaid outreach and referral and coordination of medical and mental health services covered under Medicaid. Additionally, CMS-2287P would eliminate Medicaid reimbursement for the cost of transporting children with disabilities to and from school via specialized vehicles. CMS’s rationale behind these cuts is based on a Secretarial finding that these activities are "not necessary for the proper and efficient administration of the Medicaid state plan."

To summarize, schools would no longer be eligible to receive federal Medicaid payments for the administrative activities performed by school employees as well as for transporting students receiving special education health-related services from home to school and back.

You are urged to contact your members of Congress and ask them to stop CMS from cutting funding to local education agencies.

When contacting Senators Specter and Casey, as well as your own representative, your message should be:

"Congress Must Stop CMS from Cutting Funding to Local Education Agencies."

If this rule is allowed to stand, it will impose a significant financial burden on local education agencies, which is estimated to cost Pennsylvania $160 million over a five-year period. As a result of these cuts, schools will be forced to limit services or replace lost Medicaid dollars by passing the costs to taxpayers.

CMS-2287P will make it more difficult for schools to provide needed services to students with disabilities at a time when the federal government is already woefully behind its initial commitment to fund 40% of the national per pupil expense to provide these services.

For additional information concerning CMS-2287-P, visit:

www.theleanet.com

www.gregontheweb.com