April 9, 2008
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The Honorable Dave Obey
Chairman
House Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education, and Related Agencies
2358-B Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Obey:
On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and its more than 1,500 member organizations, I urge you to include language in the supplemental appropriations bill to prohibit implementation of a final rule on certain Medicaid regulations. These two proposed Medicaid regulations, described below, would jeopardize transportation benefits for Medicaid beneficiaries and adversely affect the local transit agencies on which those beneficiaries depend.
The first of these proposed regulations was announced August 24, 2007, at 72 FR 48604, titled “Medicaid Program; State Option to Establish Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Program.” This proposal would limit payments to transit agencies for transportation provided to Medicaid beneficiaries, effectively shifting the vast majority of the transportation costs to transit agencies and the state and local governments that fund those agencies. The public comment period for that proposal closed September 24, 2007, and a final rule has not yet been published.
The second of these proposed regulations was announced February 22, 2008, at 73 FR 9714, titled “Medicaid Program; State Flexibility for Medicaid Benefit Packages.” This proposal would completely eliminate non-emergency medical transportation benefits for certain Medicaid beneficiaries, once again shifting the financial responsibility to local transit agencies and sponsoring state and local governments. The public comment period for that proposal closed March 24, 2008, and a final rule has not yet been published.
Under the guise of providing ‘flexibility’ to states, these proposed regulations amount to an abdication of the Department of Health and Human Services’ long standing responsibility to provide transportation services to those without their own transportation. To deny transportation assistance to Medicaid beneficiaries in many cases is to deny access to medical care. In addition, these proposed regulations would place a massive financial burden on public transit agencies when those agencies already are struggling to provide vital services to their communities in the face of mounting budgetary pressures.
We thank you for considering APTA's views. If you have questions, please contact Paul Dean of APTA's Government Affairs Department at (202) 496-4887 or email pdean@apta.com.
Sincerely,
William W. Millar
President
WWM/tjj
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