Sunday, April 18, 2004

Watchdog staff shrinks as Medicaid expands

By Mark Hornbeck / News Lansing Bureau

Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

LANSING — Thousands of early retirements and unfilled job openings have cut deeply into state regulatory staffing over the past few years, a Detroit News review shows.

These are state workers who inspect child day care centers to see that their buildings and programs are up to standards. They’re people who monitor discharge from factories’ smokestacks to make sure it meets air quality requirements.

They include inspectors who test gasoline to ensure that motorists get the octane quality that’s advertised, and that a gallon on the pump is really a gallon in the tank.

Cuts in this watchdog labor force raise concerns that the state is falling short in a critical area of responsibility — protecting the public and the consumer. State budget deficits caused by soaring Medicaid and prison spending, the sluggish economy and other factors made the staff cuts necessary.

“The loss of staff is really taking a toll on the state’s regulatory role,” said Sharon Parks, senior research associate at the Michigan League for Human Services.

Among the cuts:

* A 23 percent reduction since 1997 in the staff that inspects 8,761 facilities for child foster care, child placement and child care.

* A 22 percent drop over the past decade in food inspectors who sample food products for safety, investigate consumer complaints and attempt to prevent food-borne illnesses.

* A reduction of one-quarter in liquor control inspectors who monitor pricing and make sure bars aren’t serving minors.