Haley Barbour on Health Care Republican MS Governor

Shift state some Medicaid recipients to federal Medicare

A part of the solution was to move 47,000 state Medicaid recipients who are also eligible for federal Medicare (6% of all recipients - called PLADs, or Poverty Level Aged and Disabled) off of Medicaid and onto Medicare alone. The state program would be strengthened; those who were eligible for both programs would be off Medicaid, but have new Medicare coverage available to them. This change was necessary and appropriate because Mississippi is not rich enough to pay for what the federal government already provides. The 6% who are being shifted to Medicare need and must get quality health care. [We plan transition and sign-up assistance].