News Releases for June 2003
June 19, 2003
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Hoeven Outlines Plan For $69.6 Million In Additional Federal Funding To State
Plan Addresses Present And Future State Needs
One-Time Fiscal Relief 
(64kb pdf)
Federal MedicAid Reimbursement (88kb pdf)
Block Grant (64kb pdf)
Questions And Answers About The Federal Fiscal Relief Package For North Dakota (160kb pdf)
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today outlined a plan to use the $69.6 million one-time increase in federal dollars allocated to North Dakota as a result of President Bush’s tax relief and fiscal stimulus package.
The objectives of Hoeven’s plan are:
- To help meet North Dakota’s current health-care needs, and sustain these services into the future.
- To strengthen the state’s budget and save taxpayer dollars through prudent management of the one-time receipt of funds.
Hoeven’s plan meets the certification requirements provided in the federal legislation, and does not require state legislative action beyond approval for acceptance of the funds by the Emergency Commission and the Legislative Budget Section.
North Dakota will receive the money in two parts: about $19.6 million in increased federal Medicaid dollars, and $50 million in block grants to the states.
“The additional $19.6 in federal Medicaid funding is good news for North Dakota,” Hoeven said. “Our primary concern is making sure that we cover the continuum of care for our seniors, children and low-income individuals. By identifying our critical priorities now, and saving money for the future, we can do that without additional cost to the state.”
The Governor’s plan earmarks $8 million of the $19.6 million in one-time Medicaid funding for the 2003-2005 biennium and reserves the remaining $11.6 million to sustain essential health-care services in future bienniums.
Hoeven’s plan will also strengthen the state’s budget by setting aside the $50 million block-grant portion of the federal money to increase the projected ending fund balance for the upcoming biennium. According to the North Dakota Tax Department, about $14 million will be required to offset less in state tax revenues owing to changes in federal tax laws that reduce the tax burden on individuals. That will increase the projected ending fund balance in the next biennium to about $46 million, rather than the $10 million reserved at the end of the legislative session.
To plan for the future, Hoeven also announced he is forming a Governor’s Health Care Working Group comprised of medical providers and consumers of health care to find ways to use Medicaid dollars most effectively and efficiently. The group includes physicians, long-term care providers, hospitals, insurers, seniors groups and disability advocates, as well as others.
E-mail comments to the Governor
Documents with this icon are in Adobe Acrobat format and require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to open them. It can be be downloaded directly from the Adobe.com web site.
