WA Governor suspends plan to limit Medicaid ER visits

A plan by the state Medicaid program to stop paying for emergency-room visits for all conditions deemed "nonemergency"—set to go into effect Sunday—has been suspended by Gov. Chris Gregoire pending the outcome of budget negotiations under way in the state Legislature. Gregoire's budget director, Marty Brown, said Saturday that Gregoire on Friday stopped the Medicaid plan from going into effect, noting growing legislative support for a less-drastic alternative. The alternative plan, pushed by Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, is a modified version of a proposal offered by emergency-room doctors and hospitals, Brown said.