Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are fighting over whether they should slash Medicaid funding (known as Medi-Cal in California) — and by how much. The cuts are critical to achieving a $1.5 trillion federal budget reduction the GOP-led House already approved in a February resolution. If implemented, the cuts to Medicaid will be the largest drawdown in the program’s history.
The budget resolution to slash at least $880 billion through 2034 in Medicaid, nutrition programs and health care programs, including some funding for nursing homes, was proposed to the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee in late February. Congress could vote on the measure as early as this week.
Of the almost one in four Americans enrolled in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which includes low-income households, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with disabilities, the measure could eliminate coverage for 15.9 million people, according to data compiled by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning but non-partisan think tank based in Washington, D.C.
A California Health Care Foundation report states that $100 billion of Medi-Cal’s $160 billion budget comprises federal funds.
“House Republicans passed a budget proposal that would lead to the largest Medicaid cuts in history, taking healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans to fund tax breaks for billionaires like Elon. It has never been clearer that Donald Trump and his Republican Party do not care about the health and well-being of seniors, children, people with disabilities, and working families. However, Democrats do care,” said Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), reacting to the Republican passage of the budget resolution.
Kamlager-Dove convened a roundtable discussion at Eisner Health in Los Angeles with patients and healthcare providers to address the local impacts of the proposed Medicaid cuts. Her district has the fourth highest Medicaid enrollment in the nation.
“Democrats are fighting to protect Medicaid because it helps everyone, including those in both red and blue districts. Defending and improving this vital program should never be a partisan issue — it’s about preserving healthcare in our country,” Kamlager-Dove continued. The Medi-Cal program insures 14.9 million people, more than one-third of the state’s population.
Nine Republicans are a part of California’s delegation to the United States Congress, representing 2.5 million Medi-Cal enrollees. All nine of them voted to approve the House GOP budget bill. Please visit www.cablackmedia.org to continue reading.