Mississippi Transplants

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JACKSON, Miss. May 20, 2005 — Adult Mississippi

Medicaid patients who need liver or lung transplants

are being told they might not get the lifesaving

organs they need unless they move to another state and

sign up for Medicaid there.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center in

performs only bone marrow, adult heart and

adult kidney transplants. Anyone needing a lung or

liver transplant must go out of state, as must

children who need transplants.

Mississippi Medicaid's policies allow the agency to

negotiate payments for transplants for people 21 and

younger. But for most adult cases, the hospitals have

to be willing to accept Medicaid's standard

reimbursement rates.

Apparently, a growing number of hospitals are not

willing to accept the rates for transplants in adults.

Transplants usually cost much more than the regular

reimbursement rate. A liver transplant, for instance,

can cost $175,000 or more. No figures were available

on how many Medicaid enrollees are awaiting

transplants.

" We're having to tell people to leave Mississippi and

set up residency in another state to get on their

Medicaid and get a transplant center to accept them, "

said Laird of the nonprofit Mississippi Organ

Recovery Agency.

" This has been a problem, to some extent, for years,

but I think we're seeing it worse right now, " he said.

" (University of Alabama-Birmingham) pretty well told

me they're not accepting anyone over 21, with

Mississippi Medicaid coverage only, for liver

transplants. We're hearing the same thing from the

social workers we deal with, and transplant

coordinators. "

Medicaid officials are working on solutions. Some

lawmakers said they were surprised to learn of the

problem and they may try to expedite the process.

" (Medicaid) is obviously not making transplants a

priority, " said House Public Health Committee Chairman

Steve Holland, D-Plantersville. " It sounds like it's

just about shut down for adults right now. "

Holland said as the Legislature deals with state

budgets in the current special session, he will likely

try to include a provision to mandate Medicaid to

change its policies to help adults get out-of-state

transplants.

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