Essentials of Health Policy and Law 2nd Edition by Joel Teitelbaum,Sara Wilensky

Exercise 16

Supporters of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) assert that states now have more flexibility to choose benefit packages tailored to the needs of different beneficiaries, provide Medicaid beneficiaries with the same coverage that large private plans provide, and give states additional needed flexibility to control state Medicaid budgets. Are these arguments convincing? Why or why not? If you agree, why do you think so many populations are exempt from DRA changes? Also, the beneficiaries who are excluded are often the most costly groups of patients-does that make sense in terms of budget reduction or equity? What do you think was the primary decision-making goal by those supporting the DRA?