On Monday, January 31, the Senate Finance Committee heard from the Comptroller’s Office and the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) before beginning discussions on Article II. The Committee also heard from the LBB and agency on the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) portions of the budget bill. Today the Committee is taking up the rest of Article II, which will include Health and Human Services and any Medicaid discussions.
During today’s discussion of Medicaid it is expected there will be more discussion that the Senate base budget estimates will not adequately account for the increase in caseload. The chief of the state’s Health and Human Services Commission, Tom Suehs, will tell members of the Senate Finance Committee today that the Medicaid estimates they’ve been looking at are a little bit off by several billion dollars.
When you look at the funding increases needed to maintain Medicaid, it’s more evidence that the program needs to be reformed,” Tom Suehs Texas Health and Human Services Executive Director said in a statement Monday. “We’re going to work closely with the Legislature on funding for the next two years, but we’re also going to work with other states to urge changes at the federal level. States need more flexibility to make Medicaid work.”
As the LBB discusses the agency budgets, a summary can be found at: http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Senate_Finance/SFC_LBB_Agency_Presentations.htm
Members of the committee – Sens.: Steve Ogden (Chairman), Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (Vice Chairman), Robert Deuell, Robert Duncan, Kevin Eltife, Craig Estes, Eddie Lucio Jr., Jane Nelson, Dan Patrick, Kel Seliger, Florence Shapiro, Royce West, John Whitmire, Tommy Williams, and Judith Zaffirini.