Potential federal cuts could impact services provided to LOCS, raise taxes
By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — Lake Orion Community Schools’ board of education voted unanimously to adopt a Medicaid funding resolution in support of protecting Medicaid funding for schools.
A piece of federal legislation that cleared the House in May could result in a loss of Medicaid funding and coverage for millions of Americans and organizations.
Schools are a large recipient of Medicaid funding, according to LOCS Board Trustee Birgit McQuiston, who called potential Medicaid cuts a “threat to public schools.”
She said it is a common misunderstanding that Medicaid only applies to a certain population of Americans who need extra support.
“If that is cut it will be devastating to schools,” McQuiston said. “Not just us, to all public schools.”
The resolution will be used to advocate for LOCS.
Schools use Medicaid for many services, she said. These include speech therapy, mental health services, counseling, occupational therapy, and nursing services for students with disabilities – largely from low-income families. McQuiston added Medicaid also supports schools in hiring health professionals, purchasing equipment and funding school-based health programs, again, particularly to those of undeserved communities.
LOCS currently has $590,000 budgeted from Medicaid, according to Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Andrea Curtis. However, she added the district recently received an allocation worth $648,000 for this year.
These funds are used for LOCS’s special education funding, which can be used for teachers, as one example.
Medicaid’s official government website includes a video describing Medicaid-school-based services, which are any physical, mental and behavioral health services provided to Medicaid-enrolled children in school settings or by school-based providers that are reimbursable by Medicaid. These services often include early and periodical screening, and diagnostic and treatment services for Medicaid-enrolled children under the age of 21.
Some specific service examples McQuiston did not mention that are included in the video are physical therapy, dental services, vision and hearing screenings, audiological services, substance use services and clinics offering vaccinations.
McQuiston said on April 24 that cuts would mean states would have to absorb some of these costs, with many of them being put on local school districts which are already impacted by strained budgets.
“This could force a reduction in services for students, and some areas would have to consider local taxes to fill the gap,” McQuiston said.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation into law that established the Medicare and Medicaid programs in July 1965. For 50 years, these programs have been protecting the health and well-being of millions of American families, saving lives, and improving the economic security of the United States, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.