Is Rhode Island’s Global Medicaid Waiver a good idea?

With the state continuing to wallow in red ink, the motivation for Gov. Donald L. Carcieri to negotiate a Global Medicaid Waiver with the federal government was clear.

The flexibility that the block grant from Washington, D.C., grants the state – in exchange for a cap in federal Medicaid funding – is intended to allow it to stretch the effectiveness of the money it spends on health care.

But not everyone agrees that Rhode Island is ready to implement the solutions that Carcieri said would form the backbone of its new approach to caring for the poor and elderly, such as an increase in home health care.

As Rhode Island prepares to implement the Global Medicaid Waiver, was it such a good idea after all?