Medicaid. Can it meet the needs of Texas' indigents?
Whether doctor or patient, Democrat or Republican, regulatory official or hospital administrator, there is one thing almost everyone agrees on: some changes to the Medicaid system are in order. Established in 1965, Medicaid was created to provide medical care to the poor in this country, to underwrite the care of the poor, the disabled, low-income elderly, blind and those otherwise disenfranchised from the mainstream of modern health care. As with any new understanding, there was little certainty about how many people Medicaid would serve, how it would work or how much it would cost. Egregious errors were made in the structure and process, and attempts to correct them have not been effective. Texas Hospitals asked a cross-section of people and institutions, "What would you change about Medicaid?" A variety of different ideas were put forth; some obviously self-serving answers emerged. But no one asked failed to have an answer to the question. We all agree; Medicaid needs some changes.