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.".
