Menendez quizzes Obamacare nominee about NJ’s Medicaid backlog – The Star-Ledger

At a confirmation hearing Wednesday for Sylvia Mathews Burwell, nominated to take over the helm of Obamacare, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) quizzed her about the backlog facing Medicaid newcomers in New Jersey.

State officials reported earlier in the week that 25,000 applicants remained stuck in a backlog, while another 7,000 people were still waiting for their ID cards.

In questioning the nominee, Menendez said that while the backlog was clearly the state’s problem to fix, her department should provide vigorous oversight to make sure that was happening.

If people who attempt to join the state’s expanded Medicaid program get caught in bureaucratic red tape, he said, the promise of the Affordable Care Act will have been thwarted.

He also urged her to make sure a clear message was sent to providers that they should accept patients who are presumed to be eligible, even if those patients don’t yet have their cards.

In a separate line of questioning, he relayed complaints about restrictions placed by some new insurance policies on health services for people with autism. While the Affordable Care Act bans dollar caps on services, some insurers have imposed non-dollar caps on the amount of service or treatment for autism, the senator said.

That violates the intent of the regulation that made autism treatment part of the essential benefits plans must offer, he said.

“It has the potential to deny access to care to families across the nation,” he said.

The questions were part of Burwell’s final confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee for her final confirmation hearing on Wednesday. While Republicans raised pointed questions about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, they were cordial in their interactions with Burwell, praising her availability and cooperation in her previous positions.

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