Members of JFAC and the House and Senate health and welfare committees got a chance this morning to ask questions of state Medicaid administrator Leslie Clement, after her presentation on Monday of the Medicaid budget. Half an hour was allotted; there were so many questions that they went on for 45 minutes. Among them: Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, asked why psycho-social rehabilitation services were targeted for elimination in one of the two scenarios for cutting $25.2 million from Medicaid services next year.

Clement responded that psycho-social rehabilitation is "a benefit that I think our state has struggled with for a long time, in terms of having the confidence that it's really producing good outcomes for the individuals receiving those. So we've been nibbling at that policy and changing criteria and trying to increase the standards. ... It continues to be one of those benefits that we hear the most criticism about, have the least amount of evidence that it's producing positive outcomes and we're spending a ton of money on it."

On Monday, Clement provided lawmakers with two scenarios on how to cut millions out of Medicaid. Scenario 1 called for eliminating PSR services, to save $11.8 million in state funds, and developmental disability center services, to save $8.4 million in general funds, along with cuts in dental services and new copays. Scenario 2 called for  a series of smaller reductions in various services along with eliminating all non-urgent dental care for adults and raising assessments on providers. Later this morning, lawmakers will hear a presentation on services for the developmentally disabled.