Prince George's County health department outlines options to restructure uninsured care program amid budget uncertainty

Councilwoman Walla Begay, chair of the Prince George's County Council health work group, heard a briefing from county health officials and community clinic representatives about uncertainty in funding and a possible restructuring of the county—s uninsured-care program during a work group meeting.

The Prince George's County Health Department—s chief of health policy and innovation, Stephanie Soleil Whittle, said federal and state budget actions are creating "downstream impact" on local programs and that the department is considering changes to how Prince George's Cares and the county—s Health Assures reimbursements are structured. "Today, we want to just do a brief review of the potential federal and state cuts and what that looks like as it impacts to the health department," Whittle said.

Why it matters: Officials said potential federal cuts to Medicaid and other programs and a state budget deficit are likely to increase the county—s uninsured population and increase demand for wraparound services. That, they said, would put strain on existing funding and on the county—s ability to pay clinics that serve uninsured residents.

What officials told the work group

- Federal and state risk factors: Whittle listed several federal programs that could face reductions or program changes, including proposed reductions in Medicaid spending, pauses in some federal vaccination studies, and possible reductions to Ryan White and…