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A federal judge has issued a tentative decision blocking California from cutting reimbursements to health care providers who treat low-income patients by 10 percent.
Plaintiffs in the case, which included groups representing California doctors, dentists and pharmacists, argued that the cuts would limit Medi-Cal beneficiaries' access to care, which Judge Christian Snyder found persuasive.
"The court's tentative ruling is encouraging to those of us practicing medicine," said Dr. James T. Hay, the president of the California Medical Association in a statement. "The state's repeated attempts to slash Medi-Cal reimbursement rates is a short-sighted solution that balances the budget on the backs of the poorest and the most vulnerable Californians."
In March of 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 97, which cut the reimbursement rate for physicians, dentists, pharmacists and other Medi-Cal providers by 10 percent. The bill was part of the state's strategy to reduct its budget deficit. In November, the California Medical Association went to court to block the cuts.
Although the judge's decision is tentative, it indicates how the judge is likely to rule.
The state is still determining the financial impact of the decision.
"We've just received the ruling and we're in the process of determining the extent to which it would represent a hit to the bottom line of the budget," said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.
© The Bay Citizen, 2012
Patrick Barnes
What's at? Nancy Pelosi hasn't solved this? Look, everyone wants to make the rich pay, pay, pay. But there aren't enough of them dumb enough to stick around and be taxed, and the rest of you don't want to pay, either. So here you are. You either do what's right and pay for it--that means more taxes--or you create vast numbers of sick poor people, since you already hit the mark on the actual poor. Warm weather and nice views, seas to dream about and California living comes to you for far too much, but that is where you put yourselves.