Important Medicaid Case in Supreme Court

Just a quick heads-up on a case the Supreme Court has already accepted for review this term - it's known as Douglas v. Independent Living Center.

The issue in simplest terms, is whether Medicaid recipients and providers can sue a state for failing to pay the rates required by the Medicaid Act. Well, that seems straightforward enough . . . before, that is, one takes into account the actual law and the courts' reading of the law.

The linked article reveals some of the complications - for example, that the Ninth Circuit previously ruled the State of California "failed to produce evidence that it complied with requirements that do not appear in the [federal] statute." Huh?

With all the attention given this term to the probable hearing of the Obamacare appeal, other important insurance-related issues such as Douglas v. Independent Living Center aren't getting any air time. This case is worth following because of its potential to increase the cost of Medicaid--even before the increase in Medicaid cost that will result from Obamacare.