by DERRICK C. LEWIS
Staff Writer
The United States General
Accounting Office (GAO) has
identified more than $250 mil
lion in Medicaid claims not
paid to the state which
Michigan Blue Cross/Blue
�.��.��� ve
i bility or, a ordi to a
GAO report given by Rep.
J ohn Conyers during a news
conference last Monday.
The claims date back to
1972, with the Medical Ser
vices Agency (MSA), which
administers the state's $2 bil
lion Medicaid program, en
countering serious difficulties
in recovering payments for
Medicaid recipients insured by
BC/BS.
According, to the r e post,
BC/BS maintains that its com-
Recall Coalitior, .regi
ters voter
by RON SEIGEL
Correspotuhnt
low voter turnout among poor
people and minorities:
Others fee 1 tha t pol i tici an
ignore issues concerning
pove rty and d is c.r i m i na tto n,
because those affected do not
'go out to 'Vote.
The coalition is training
registrars to register peo le ,
Maureen Taylor says he
would like every block club in
Highland Park and Detroit to
have one regi trar to ign up
member and to have other
regi trar working a in
dividual signing up those
they meet.
Registrars who were able to
NGL 4 R OTED that he
S.e RECALL, Pig 3
do so would be assigned to
cover specific area, she aid.
working hours at (313)868-
3660.
Those intere ted in becom
ing registrars on their own
can go to Room 21,0 of the
City County Building and get
information and an applica
tion.
Coalition member are con
cerned about Engler's pans to
make large cut in ocial er
vice aid to the poor, which
Taylor states, left poor people
at only 51 % of the poverty
level.
A MEETING will be held
12 noon Saturday March 31 at
the Highland Park Public
Library, 12244 Woodward at
Rhode Island on' becoming
registrar .
A representative from the
League for Human Serv.ice
will 81 0 be cheduled to
speak on Engler's budget
cuts. .
Those interested, but un
able to come, should call
Ta yl o r Mondays through
Thursdays during normal
DBTROIT - Employed and
Unemployed Workers, 8 coali
tion organization upporting
� the recall of Michigan Gover
nor John Engler tate they
plan to put teeth into their
political efforts by starting a
registration drive to make
ure . poor people and
minorities are regi tered to
vote.
Many political analysts
feel that Engler won the last
. election over incumbent
Jame Blanchard, because of
riff
D
nden
•
rOI
po
•
nn
by
talIWrlte,
into contr
cGrif . 0
Glori Cobbi
voted g in t
tion.
Bell id th t McGriff h
no uperintendent e perience.
" .. .I ju t don't believe he i the
o e to le d (hi district," id
Bell.
o The nnouncement met with
S. CGRIFF, Pig. 7
Dyer
processing and paying past,
present, and future claims.
In 1980, Michigan and
BC/BS signed an agreement to
resolve the 1 wsuit, with
BC/BS' agreeing to reimburse
the state for claims received
after Oct. I, 1976 (no provision
S •• BLUE CROSS, Pig. 5
General As Istance and
put tbem in spe ill
program, wbere they
would "lear a skill."
He id tbis would
decre e ocial servtce
rolls, bec u e those wbo
were not serious about
getting a job, ould
lea ve the General A i
tsnce progr m, i ce they
were too lazy to fulfill
the requirements. .
Tbe fate of these who
fulfilled the learntng re
quirement, however, II
far from cle r.
Mond y, M rch 2S,
•• ENGLER, Page 3
Detroit Bo rd of due tion
Pre ident wrence P tric
nnounced th t Milw uk
chool reformer Debor h c-
Griff w cho en to be the next
chool uperintendent by the
bo rd' e rch committee, t
1 t Tue d Y' meeting.
The board voted 9-2 to enter
•
puter sy tem i incapable of
processing Medicaid claims a
submitted by MSA, and that it
needs additional information,
preferably submitted on
BC/B claim forms. Ad
mini trative difficulties in
volved .i n meeting BC/BS
pecific tiona for payment ha
p 1
tainin
recoveries.
In the period from 1972-78,
M A unsuccessfully attempted
to get BC/BS to process cl ims
which Medicaid paid and to
provide eimbursement to
MSA.
IN 1978, MSA filed a lawsuit
against BC/BS seeking to es
tablish BC/BS liability for
1973-78 claims totaling $47
million, and requiring BC/BS
to implement a system for
What did
Engl r
man?·
by RON SEIGEL
CO"'spotrd,nt
Michig n Governor
John Engler tated
Friday, Mll'ch 221n n in
terview with talk show
ho t Denny McClain on
radio tatton WXYT tbat
in next year' budget he
intend to tbrow all non
handicapped people off
CARL WIL 0 :" Ye ba i
cally he was the one-issue
politician, who aid he would
cut taxe, nd to cut t xe
would be to cut ervices. If he
wa in need of ervice, the
cut he propo ed would not
enable him to live."
LAURE IDER A : "1
hought to recall
ing h imr+-H ' in a difficult
po ition. With the budget
being the way it is, it's a no-win
ituation. 1 feel for him both
way.".