“Across the nation, sizeable and forceful groups–a Medicaid medical industrial complex–support welfare medicine, many of them becoming entirely or partially dependent on its funding for their financial viability. Their reliance on the low-income health program puts them at risk of adverse political decisions, but also drives them to exert disproportionate influence over policymakers.
Vested interests–professionals, pharmaceutical firms, hospitals, MCOs, nursing homes, and the like–have wielded increasing clout over the years in tandem with the ongoing devolution of power over the program. In contrast, organizations advocating specifically for the medical needs of the poor have significantly less influence on state officials.”
- Laura Katz Olson (2010) The Politics of Medicaid, p. 182.
Recent comments