Block grants could cause 8 mil. Medicaid enrollees to lose drug coverage by 2002, NACDS contends.

Executive Summary

MEDICAID BLOCK GRANTS COULD DEPRIVE 8 MIL. ENROLLEES OF Rx DRUG COVERAGE by 2002 if federal Medicaid payments are moved into block grants and states are unsuccessful at controlling Medicaid costs, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores contends in a recent analysis of block grants. Using figures from a Kaiser Foundation study, NACDS estimates that, in the worst case, 17.6% of now-eligible Americans would lose Medicaid health insurance coverage. Those beneficiaries represent an estimated 84 mil. prescriptions per year.