Medicaid cuts: Teeth pulled, transplant called off

CHICAGO (AP) — Across the country, state lawmakers have taken harsh actions to try to rein in the costs of Medicaid, the health care program that serves 58 million poor and disabled Americans.

Some states have cut payments to doctors, paid bills late and trimmed benefits such as insulin pumps, obesity surgery and hospice care.

In Illinois, a pharmacist closed his business because of late Medicaid payments. In Arizona, a young father's liver transplant was canceled because Medicaid suddenly would not pay for it. And in California, dentists are pulling teeth that could be saved because Medicaid no longer pays for root canals.

Lawmakers are bracing for more work when they reconvene in January. Some states face multibillion-dollar deficits, and Medicaid enrollment has never been higher because of job losses.

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