By Dawn Keller, Staff writer

dkeller@observer-reporter.com

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that would prevent cuts to Medicaid services, including money for schools to transport special education students to private institutions.

The legislation will save Pennsylvania $275 million in Medicaid benefits, said Mark Carpenter, a spokesman for Rep. Tim Murphy.

During the past year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a number of regulations to reverse Medicaid policies and eliminate federal payments for some Medicaid functions, Carpenter said.

Those cuts would force schools to reduce services for special education students, he said.

This legislation, which Murphy helped steer to final passage, prevents the regulations from going into effect for a year, Carpenter said. Hopefully, new regulations will be drawn up in the meantime, he said.

Four area school districts, Avella, Burgettstown, Charleroi and Washington, joined the Coalition to Preserve the Medicaid Safety Net to support the legislation, Carpenter said.

Similar legislation hasn't passed in the Senate.

Home