Planned Medicaid cuts to be revised

The Clarion-Ledger, 8/1/8

House Democrats reiterated their objection to Medicaid cuts after Gov. Haley Barbour said Thursday he soon will announce a revised plan to slash the health-care program that serves almost 600,000 Mississippians.

Barbour provided few details during a speech at the Neshoba County Fair and interviews with reporters afterward. He told fair-goers Medicaid, which he oversees, is working with federal officials “to make the required cuts and not hurt the health-care system nearly as much as Medicaid’s original plan.”

Lawmakers and health-care providers who opposed the original cuts said they don’t know specifics of the new proposal, which Barbour said he expects to announce by the time a special legislative session resumes Monday.