The House last week eliminated from a spending bill an increased Medicaid match rate that would cost Nevada about $88 million. Gov. Jim Gibbons and state lawmakers included that funding in the budget it passed during February's special session.
Besides that, officials said the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families emergency contingency funding was amended out of the federal bill, costing Nevada an additional $9 million.
Unless those funds are restored in the legislation, Nevada's budget would be nearly $100 million out of balance because the state was counting on the money for the budget that was approved.
Andrew Clinger, state budget director, and Lynn Hettrick, deputy chief of staff to the governor, on Tuesday said the gap can't be fixed by cutting back the programs involved because of other federal laws.
Hettrick said the state is on hold "until we see what they are actually going to do."
He said timing of the cut was especially bad because the funding had been in the proposed legislation for months, convincing 30 states to count on it when balancing their budgets.
"It was clearly anticipated by more states than just Nevada," Hettrick said.
Cutting the funding would reduce the federal Medicaid match from nearly 64 percent to just 50 percent, leaving the state to pay for the other half.
Hettrick said cutting that much money from other programs to keep Medicaid whole would be "devastating" to other programs from which it was taken.
Here's a thought Gibby! Since we don't have funds for TANF & Medicaid, why don't you do something to correct your ridiculous Child Support program, designed to regain some of those funds from the absent parent??????? Nevada is #54 in Child Support, bet you didn't know that was even possible, but how much money is that costing taxpayers? Gibby Needs To Go!