December 17, 2004
Leavitt Nominated to Head HHS and Lead the Drive to End Medicaid Entitlement
On Monday, the President surprised many when he nominated EPA Administrator and former three-term Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt to succeed Tommy Thompson as HHS Secretary.
Leavitt, a former insurance executive, left a mark on Utah's Medicaid program that many advocates fear will be a model for changes during the second Bush administration, including a new push to block grant Medicaid. He led an ambitious effort to cover the uninsured using savings from managed care to cover Medicaid program costs. That effort failed, at the expense of the low-income elderly, blind and disabled populations in Utah.
Now this former governor could lead a new Administration drive to get governors onboard for ending the Medicaid entitlement -- capping Medicaid spending while simultaneously implementing the enormous Medicare Modernization Act and attempting to cut the deficit. This would be a disaster for people living with HIV in the United States, the majority of whom receive treatment and care through the Medicaid program.