ElderWeb

The governors of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine announced that they have created a multi-state pool for the purchase of prescription drugs. The purchasing pool will include the Medicaid populations from all three states, about 330,000 people. By working together to focus on quality and management efficiency, the three states hope to save an estimated 10% to 15% on their prescription drug programs. The benefits of the combined purchasing pool will be available on a voluntary basis to other groups, including uninsured individuals, and businesses. They released a request for proposals, seeking bids from pharmacy benefits management companies to operate the purchasing pool.

The state of New Hampshire owes 79 people $675,000 in Medicaid refunds, but hasn't been able to find them. The refunds are owed to people whose homes or other assets were taken by the state since 1992 to repay state-paid nursing home care for other people, usually a spouse. Money also is owed to the estates of deceased nursing home patients. The state agreed to repay about $6.5 million to 370 families or estates to settle a class-action lawsuit that ended a state practice of filing liens against homes and assets to recoup Medicaid payments.

They have been able to find all but these 79 people, and have run into a hitch. Legal Assistance would like to publish the names of these people, but the State says that publication of their names in the newspaper would violate their privacy, and has refused to do so. The deadline for filing a claim is August 16.

The state is required by law to recoup Medicaid payments in many cases, but some estates are not eligible for refunds. For instance, people who are beneficiaries of a Medicaid recipient?s estate, but not a spouse or co-owner of real estate, probably are not entitled to a refund.

Refunds already paid out ranged from $6 to $120,000.