2019 -- S 0584

========

LC001569

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

____________

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE RHODE ISLAND STATE AUDITOR GENERAL TO

CONDUCT OR OVERSEE A STUDY OR AUDIT ON THE PRIVATIZATION OF RHODE

ISLAND'S MEDICAID PROGRAMS

     

     Introduced By: Senators Bell, Nesselbush, Euer, Murray, and Valverde

     Date Introduced: March 14, 2019

     Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services

1

     WHEREAS, Approximately one in three Rhode Islanders (about 330,000 people)

2

receives benefits through Rhode Island's Medicaid programs, including 3 in 5 nursing home

3

residents, 3 in 5 individuals with disabilities, and 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries; and

4

     WHEREAS, Prior to 1994, Rhode Island managed its own Medicaid programs

5

reimbursing health care providers directly; and

6

     WHEREAS, Since 1994, Rhode Island has privatized an ever-growing portion of its

7

Medicaid program so that by 2018, 60 percent of the entire Medicaid budget (about $1.7 billion)

8

went to private health insurance companies to manage Rhode Island’s Medicaid programs; and

9

     WHEREAS, In annual reports since 2009, the Rhode Island Office of the Auditor

10

General repeatedly found that the state lacks adequate oversight of such private health insurance

11

companies; and

12

     WHEREAS, The Auditor General found that Rhode Island overpaid more than $200

13

million to private health insurance companies in 2015 and could not recoup overpayments until

14

2017, due to opposition from such companies; and

15

     WHEREAS, Academic peer-reviewed research has found that privatizing management of

16

Medicaid does not save states money and often costs them more; and

17

     WHEREAS, In 2009, Connecticut conducted an audit which found that it was overpaying

18

private health insurance companies (United Healthcare Group, Aetna, and Community Health

19

Network of Connecticut) nearly $50,000,000 of Medicaid funds per year; and

 

1

     WHEREAS, In 2010, Connecticut abandoned its attempt to privatize management of its

2

Medicaid program and subsequently saved hundreds of millions of dollars and achieved the

3

lowest Medicaid cost increases in the country; and

4

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island has not conducted analyses of the actual costs and benefits of

5

contracting with private health insurance companies nor collected data sufficient to undertake

6

such analyses; now, therefore be it

7

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

8

hereby respectfully requests the Rhode Island State Auditor General to conduct or oversee a study

9

or audit similar to the one undertaken by the Connecticut Comptroller in 2009 to determine

10

whether Rhode Island is overpaying private health insurance companies and whether reversing

11

the privatization of Rhode Island’s Medicaid programs can save the state money; and be it further

12

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests the Rhode Island State

13

Auditor General to report its findings to the Rhode Island Senate on or before January 2, 2020;

14

and be it further

15

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

16

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode Island State Auditor General.

========

LC001569

========

 

LC001569 - Page 2 of 2