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CNN Sunday Morning
Economy Impacts State Health Care Budgets
Aired May 04, 2003 - 09:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Friday the government released April's unemployment figures and the news was not good. The unemployment rate was up .2 percent, to 6 percent overall and businesses cut jobs for the third straight month.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: And that economic news is spilling over to the state health care budgets. There are just two months left in the fiscal year for most states and many are scrambling to find a ways to cut billions of dollars to comply with the balanced budget requirements. Our Jennifer Coggiola with more now on some tough choices that this makes for doctors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how are you? Good to see you.
JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sidney Bowers (ph) is on Medicaid and due this week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My goodness. Looks like you've grown in the last two days.
COGGIOLA: But this could be her last birth with Dr. Zango (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a strong possibility that we may not be able to survive, because Medicaid simply cannot cover the expenses of running a physician practice in Georgia right now.
COGGIOLA: Georgia legislators passed a budget for 2004, including $263 million in cuts. Among the cuts, a 10 percent across the board Medicaid reduction to physicians. Dr. Zango (ph) says that will cost his practice $12,000 a year. While he'll care for his current Medicaid patients until they deliver, after that, no more Medicaid patients. Soon, he says, the nearest OB/GYN still accepting Medicaid could be 30 miles away, raising questions about whether they will be able to get the care they need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's never a good idea to take care of a pregnancy on an emergency basis.
COGGIOLA: States across the U.S. are grappling with budget shortfalls, as the second biggest item in most states, at least 27 have proposals to curtail Medicaid costs. Texas is proposing stricter eligibility criteria for Medicaid and the children's health insurance program. The Texas Medical association says it will leave at least 150,000 children uninsured. Virginia passed a bill that freezes reimbursement rates for their doctors, and Massachusetts cut their mass health program April 1, leaving 36,000 unemployed adults without health insurance.
To raise cash, states are proposing everything from taxes on beer to cell phones. Georgia, like six other states, increased the tobacco tax but for this Dr. Zango (ph), it's just not enough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't envy the job that the state legislatures and the governor have had to do this year with extremely limited funds. However, they have chosen to put the burden solely on the backs of the providers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really like Dr. Zango (ph), and it would be a disappointment if he stopped seeing Medicaid patients.
COGGIOLA: But that's a decision Dr. Zango (ph) says he had to make.
Jennifer Coggiola, CNN, Royston, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 4, 2003 - 09:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Friday the government released April's unemployment figures and the news was not good. The unemployment rate was up .2 percent, to 6 percent overall and businesses cut jobs for the third straight month.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: And that economic news is spilling over to the state health care budgets. There are just two months left in the fiscal year for most states and many are scrambling to find a ways to cut billions of dollars to comply with the balanced budget requirements. Our Jennifer Coggiola with more now on some tough choices that this makes for doctors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how are you? Good to see you.
JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sidney Bowers (ph) is on Medicaid and due this week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My goodness. Looks like you've grown in the last two days.
COGGIOLA: But this could be her last birth with Dr. Zango (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a strong possibility that we may not be able to survive, because Medicaid simply cannot cover the expenses of running a physician practice in Georgia right now.
COGGIOLA: Georgia legislators passed a budget for 2004, including $263 million in cuts. Among the cuts, a 10 percent across the board Medicaid reduction to physicians. Dr. Zango (ph) says that will cost his practice $12,000 a year. While he'll care for his current Medicaid patients until they deliver, after that, no more Medicaid patients. Soon, he says, the nearest OB/GYN still accepting Medicaid could be 30 miles away, raising questions about whether they will be able to get the care they need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's never a good idea to take care of a pregnancy on an emergency basis.
COGGIOLA: States across the U.S. are grappling with budget shortfalls, as the second biggest item in most states, at least 27 have proposals to curtail Medicaid costs. Texas is proposing stricter eligibility criteria for Medicaid and the children's health insurance program. The Texas Medical association says it will leave at least 150,000 children uninsured. Virginia passed a bill that freezes reimbursement rates for their doctors, and Massachusetts cut their mass health program April 1, leaving 36,000 unemployed adults without health insurance.
To raise cash, states are proposing everything from taxes on beer to cell phones. Georgia, like six other states, increased the tobacco tax but for this Dr. Zango (ph), it's just not enough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't envy the job that the state legislatures and the governor have had to do this year with extremely limited funds. However, they have chosen to put the burden solely on the backs of the providers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really like Dr. Zango (ph), and it would be a disappointment if he stopped seeing Medicaid patients.
COGGIOLA: But that's a decision Dr. Zango (ph) says he had to make.
Jennifer Coggiola, CNN, Royston, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
