Angus King Appointed to National Commission to Study Medicaid

Angus King, former Governor and an attorney with Bernstein Shur, has been named vice-chair of a recently appointed national commission charged with studying how to reduce the costs of Medicaid.

King was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt. The commission will be chaired by former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes the Medicaid Advisory Commission as “consisting of health policy leaders from both sides of the aisle, state health department officials, public policy organizations, individuals with disabilities, and others with special expertise.”

"There is consensus that now is the time to reform and modernize Medicaid," Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt said.

During his two terms as governor, King was an advocate for improving and reducing costs of Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that serves over 50 million Americans in need including children, the disabled, and the elderly.

“Medicaid is an essential program, but its costs have increased to the point where it is straining the budgets of virtually every state as well as the federal government. It makes sense to take a hard look at the program—including its structure and costs in order to find ways to make it more effective and sustainable,” said King, who joined Bernstein Shur in 2003.

The Commission currently has 13 voting members. Two current governors will be appointed September 1. Other voting members include representatives from HHS and other U.S. agencies and policy groups, including the American Enterprise Institute and the Joint Center Health Policy Institute.

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices will be among those providing expertise and suggestions to the commission on the range of issues that will be considered. The Commission’s first charge is to deliver a report to the Secretary by September 1 on how to cut $10 billion from Medicaid over the next five years. This task is required under the terms of the federal budget plan passed by Congress earlier this year. A second report is planned for December 31.

Established in 1915, Bernstein Shur is one of northern New England’s largest full-service law firms. From offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire, the firm's 85 attorneys provide practical legal counsel to a diverse group of public and private clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur’s commercial, litigation, and municipal practices are complemented by the services of the firm’s wholly-owned government consulting affiliate (Bernstein Shur Government Solutions LLC) and its environmental and engineering consultancy (Stratex LLC). For more information, visit bernsteinshur.com.

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