CFAC Meeting Sept. 25, 2020
Madam Chairwomen and members of The CFAC Committee:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify before your committee several weeks ago.
When I reviewed the Agenda for your Friday meeting, I was also reminded of a Wall Street Journal article that appeared last Monday on page A-3 written by Bill Hammond of the Empire Center. The article specifically addressed the dispersing of funds during the pandemic and the relationships of vendors, providers, and trade groups that have representation of the various “crisis management teams”.
I would respectfully ask your Committee to review the differences in process that occurred at the National level and in our own State. I have always been a big fan of Dr. Hahn and her job advising the Governor’s Pandemic Committee. The make-up of the Committee itself with an overrepresentation of trade groups IACI, IHA, IMA and an underrepresentation of patients and clinicians—nurses, doctors, PAs, and technicians—and no virologists!, has led to a distorted presentation of conditions throughout the very different locals in our State.
The three issues before you on Friday that are of concern to me are the requests from The D&W: 1. The Provider Proposal asking for $35 million dollars. 2. The $5.23 ask by H&W for increased internal expenses for Covid-19 related expenses. 3. $1.68 million for a consultant to review H&W processes. Will there be an RFP for this?
May I respectfully request that all providers that have participated under terms of The Cares Act or pursuant to FEMA regulations up to now and going forward, should Proposal 1 be passed, be required to undergo and independent signed partners audit to be presented to the legislature acting on behalf of the people of Idaho.
I would also respectfully request that the State Department of H&W undergo an outside independent signed partners audit. Maybe some of the money that you have at your disposal could be used to provide such an audit. As an example of my concern is the monies that have been allocated to the SHIP program over the past 5 years $38million. Has there ever been such an audit of this program? Has the promised data documenting improved patient outcomes ever been provided to the people’s representatives as promised 5 years ago? Have patients benefited from this program? Have vendor and provider participants in the program provided the promised results of decreased costs and improved care?
Finally, I would respectfully request that your Committee clarify for the public the differences your Committee may have depending on the Emergency Order of the Governor. If the Emergency Order of the Governors were to go away would the authority for dispersing of ACA and FEMA monies revert back to the legislature? I have trouble understanding this issue and it has been raised to me several times by fellow physicians and patients.
Thank you all for your service,
John Livingston
