Right now, the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means are debating legislation that slashes billions of dollars from Medicaid and rips health care away from millions of Americans so they can fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. This Republican budget is anything but moderate – hospitals will close, sick people will go untreated, and working families will lose access to basic health care. Their plan would rip health care from millions of Americans, including seniors, children, veterans, people with disabilities, workers who don’t get insurance through their jobs, and people who take care of their children or elderly parents. Headlines from across the nation make clear that Republicans are trading Americans’ health care for billionaire tax breaks and putting the interests of Donald Trump and the wealthiest Americans and corporations over their constituents.
Patch: Cuts, Changes To Medicaid Proposed In New Bill: What To Know In RI.
- “House Republicans have unveiled the cost-saving centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that could have a big effect on Rhode Island’s roughly 366,000 Medicaid enrollees… The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a preliminary estimate that 8.6 million people would lose their health care coverage over a decade.”
New Jersey Monitor: Children’s Health Services Could See Trims Even Under Scaled-Back Medicaid Cuts.
- “The GOP is still considering capping federal spending by setting a fixed amount for how much states receive for every Medicaid enrollee… The agency predicted that to make up for lost federal dollars, states would have to reduce payments to health care providers, curb benefits or reduce enrollment. Some advocates also suggest that states might seek savings in other areas of their budgets, such as K-12 education.”
- “Medicaid cuts also could affect the health services offered in schools. Between $4 billion and $6 billion in annual Medicaid spending helps pay for school-based health services, including routine health screenings, preventive care, mental health care and physical, speech and occupational therapies. Children from underserved communities disproportionately rely on school-based health services.”
Maryland Matters: State officials, advocates fear impact of expected Medicaid cuts in House bill.
- “While state officials are still determining the full scope of the GOP proposal unveiled Sunday night, they anticipate that a “significant” portion of Maryland’s 1.55 million Medicaid recipients could lose coverage under the current proposal… About 25% of Marylanders receive health care through Medicaid.”
Across California: Cuts, Changes To Medicaid Proposed In New Bill: What To Know In CA.
- “Over 8 million people in California could lose their health coverage under the GOP proposal, according to the California Budget and Policy Center, a progressive think tank that advocates for programs that benefit low-income individuals, people of color, and vulnerable communities.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Some Are Raising Alarms About the Potential Effects in Texas of Medicaid Cuts.
- “[O]ne in two births in Texas are covered under Medicaid and about 150,000 out of the 775,000 people in the 33rd Congressional District… Cutting Medicaid… will hurt not just Texans, but moms around the country.”
- “Russ Weaver, vice president of Mission, Community and Government Advocacy at Texas Health Huguley, said 13 percent of the hospital’s residents use Medicaid but 52 percent of its deliveries and 50 percent of its adolescence psychiatric services are for people who have Medicaid. To cut Medicaid, which does not completely cover the cost of a patient’s care, puts additional financial pressure on the hospital and raises concerns about what will happen to mothers and their babies, Weaver said.”
The Kansas City Star: Opinion: Missouri and Kansas Families Rely on Medicaid. Defend It.
- “A new analysis of the impacts of Medicaid cuts on Kansans commissioned by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and REACH Healthcare Foundation warns that if Congress enacts proposed structural changes to Medicaid, such as a per capita cap, Kansas’ Medicaid program could lose up to $573 million in the first year alone and more than $5.19 billion over the next decade. Changes to provider taxes, state directed payments, and work requirements could cost the state more.”
- “Missouri could see as much as a quarter of its federal Medicaid funding cut, more than $3.9 billion per year, and as many as 350,000 people could lose health coverage.”
Houston Chronicle: How Republican Medicaid Cuts Could Impact Texas Hospitals and Patients.
- “‘Ultimately it’s a cut to hospitals and other health care providers,’ said Darbin Wofford, deputy director of health care at the non-profit Third Way. ‘As hospitals costs grow and states want to increase base payments or supplemental payments, now you’re tying the hands of the states.’”
The Detroit News: State Report Details Steep Cost of Potential Federal Medicaid Cuts for Michigan.
- “As the U.S. House plots cuts to the federal government’s health care spending, Michigan officials have calculated the potential risk of doing so to low-income Michiganians receiving Medicaid and found one congressional proposal, based on plans floated so far, would rescind coverage for up to 500,000 recipients.”
Huron Daily Tribune: Whitmer, MDHHS warn of major Medicaid losses under federal proposals.
- “More than 700,000 Michiganders — nearly 30% of all Medicaid beneficiaries — could lose coverage under “Republican-led” proposals in Congress, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer… Michigan hospitals could lose out on half a billion dollars in Medicaid funding annually, threatening thousands of jobs. As a result, hospitals in local and rural communities across Michigan could close, threatening access to care, raising prices, and forcing people to drive further for health care.”
13NewsNow: What’s at Stake? Virginia State Lawmakers Briefed on Potential Impacts of Federal Medicaid Cuts.
- “‘If Washington, D.C. changes these funding formulas or puts caps on the amount of funding provided to states, that leaves states with very challenging questions of, ‘Can we continue to provide services and cover the number of people covered under these programs?’ Or, ‘Do we have to make difficult choices about the level of services provided?’’ Walker said.”
Axios Raleigh: How the GOP’s proposed federal Medicaid cuts would impact N.C.
- “States have been bracing for details on how exactly House Republicans would slash Medicaid funding, with North Carolina estimating that in the worst-case scenario, the state could lose out on some $27 billion in federal Medicaid funds over the span of 10 years.”
- “The new proposal, which aims to slash federal spending to fund Republicans’ desired tax cuts, would implement work requirements for non-pregnant Medicaid recipients ages 19-64… The proposal would also increase the frequency of checks on Medicaid eligibility — to every six months rather than annually — and would restrict Medicaid funding for abortion providers.”
NJ Spotlight News: With Medicaid threatened, Kean’s committee seat may cost him.
- “The legislation teed up for debate would remove about 8.6 million people from Medicaid enrollment, according to a preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency that advises Congress on economic policy… Within New Jersey, that would mean 200,000 people would be removed from Medicaid… Kean’s office did not respond to a request for comment about how he plans to vote or if he would try to amend the bill. About 73,000 people in his district are enrolled in Medicaid…”
WBay: Wisconsinites React to House Republicans’ Bill That Features Medicaid Cuts.
- “As state lawmakers debate the biennial budget, Medicaid is now a top concern, and if federal funding drops, those who provide care, like the Partnership Community Health Center with offices in the Fox Valley, are expecting the worst.”
- “‘One out of every six Wisconsinites is on Medicaid, and when we think about that, that’s somebody we know. There are three out of five children, and a majority of people live in rural areas,’ Savella said.”
MinnPost: GOP’s Medicaid overhaul would punish Minnesota for providing health care to undocumented immigrants.
- “Legislation released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee late Sunday would cut the share the federal government gives Minnesota and 13 other states, including California, Illinois and New York, from 90% to 80% because these states offer health care coverage to undocumented immigrants… the reduction in the federal matching rate would cost Minnesota more than $325 million a year… About 1.3 million Minnesotans, or about 23% of the state’s population, rely on Medicaid, known in the state as Medical Assistance, for their health care.”
NBC Connecticut: Connecticut Democrats Warn Congressional Medicaid Plan Will Mean Less Coverage.
- “Democrats said Monday proposed Medicaid changes by Congressional Republicans could result in many people in Connecticut losing their insurance.”
- Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin, executive director for the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, said the work requirement can result in people losing their coverage if they lose their job. She also warned, though, that the additional requirements and semi-annual reapplications can lead to more people losing their coverage because of paperwork or procedural problems. ‘It is a lot of additional layers of administration and bureaucracy that are very difficult for people to navigate, and people end up losing benefits,’ she said.”
Colorado Sun: Seeking spending cuts, GOP lawmakers target a tax hospitals love to pay.
- “‘These dollars allow me to care for patients who are enrolled in Medicaid and to break even rather than lose money,’ [Lincoln Health CEO Kevin Stansbury] said. ‘Without them, it would significantly impact our ability to survive.’ Every state except Alaska uses at least one provider tax to boost its federal Medicaid dollars. But Republicans who control Congress are looking for potential cuts in the nearly $900 billion Medicaid program to help fund an extension of President Donald Trump’s tax cuts… Lawmakers say they may curtail or eliminate provider taxes as part of legislation to enact Trump’s domestic agenda. ‘It’s infuriating,’ Stansbury said.”
WTVG: Local Mental Health Agencies Worried About Cuts to Medicaid.
- “‘To come up with an additional $11 million or whatever that number may look like, will be a huge transition,’ said Sylak. This could eventually mean modifying benefit packages and could mean more trips to places like emergency rooms for people in crisis. When in fact, mental health services are what they really need. That’s in part why advocates say it makes more sense to invest in things like mental health services, so people don’t end up in an ER or jail or rescue shelter, where again, people will have to make investments, but probably larger ones.