House
Republicans
introduced
a
budget
plan
Wednesday
that
seeks
to
cut
Medicaid
spending
by
hundreds
of
billions
of
dollars.
Leaders
in
the
hospital
world
are
sounding
the
alarm,
highlighting
that
the
plan
would
result
in
millions
of
vulnerable
Americans
losing
healthcare
coverage,
as
well
as
a
surge
in
uncompensated
care
for
providers.
The
plan
orders
various
congressional
committees
to
find
at
least
$1.5
trillion
in
spending
cuts
over
the
next
decade.
It
directs
the
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee,
which
oversees
Medicare
and
Medicaid,
to
reduce
its
spending
by
$880
billion
over
10
years.
The
GOP’s
budget
blueprint
doesn’t
outline
how
the
committee
would
achieve
this
target,
but
it’s
clear
that
doing
so
would
involve
significant
cuts
to
Medicaid.
The
nation’s
Medicaid
program,
which
provides
health
coverage
for
about
72
million
Americans,
accounts
for
one-sixth
of
all
healthcare
expenditures
and
is
one
of
the
largest
programs
under
the
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee’s
oversight.
One
federal
budget
expert
—
Bobby
Kogan,
senior
director
of
Federal
Budget
Policy
at
Center
for
American
Progress
and
former
adviser
to
the
director
of
the
Office
of
Management
and
Budget
under
the
previous
presidential
administration
—
wrote
on
X
that
this
plan
would
undoubtedly
require
major
cuts
to
Medicaid.
“For
Energy
and
Commerce,
it’s
mathematically
impossible
to
achieve
$880
billion
in
savings
if
you
don’t
cut
Medicaid
or
Medicare.
There’s
not
enough
money
they
have
jurisdiction
over.
Republicans
say
they’re
not
cutting
Medicare,
so
that
means
they’re
cutting
Medicaid,”
he
wrote.
The
House
Budget
Committee
is
set
to
approve
the
plan
on
Thursday.
After
that,
the
full
House
needs
to
advance
the
proposal
in
order
for
it
to
move
on
to
Senate
consideration
and
potential
presidential
approval.
It’s
uncertain
whether
the
budget
plan
will
stay
alive
—
House
Energy
and
Commerce
Chair
Brett
Guthrie
told
Politico
that
he
isn’t
sure
he
will
be
successful
in
his
efforts
to
build
his
member’s
enthusiasm
for
Medicaid
cuts.
Guthrie
noted
that
it
will
be
difficult
to
cultivate
support
for
per-capita
caps
—
a
major
cost
cutting
measure
that
would
likely
be
necessary
to
achieve
the
savings
goal
proposed
by
the
GOP
plan.
Medicaid
per-capita
caps
seek
to
limit
federal
funding
to
states
by
providing
a
fixed
amount
per
enrollee
—
differing
from
the
current
system,
where
the
federal
government
matches
a
percentage
of
each
state’s
Medicaid
spending.
This
change
could
reduce
federal
costs
by
hundreds
of
billions
of
dollars,
but
it
would
force
states
to
restrict
eligibility,
make
sweeping
cuts
to
services,
and
potentially
increase
state
spending
to
cover
shortfalls.
“I’d
personally
love
per-capita
allotments
for
Medicaid,”
Guthrie
told
Politico.
“I’m
not
sure
we’re
going
to
be
able
to
get
218
votes
for
that.”
Though
the
budget
proposal’s
future
is
still
unsure,
healthcare
leaders
are
worried
about
it.
“To
put
the
$880
billion
in
Medicaid
cuts
Republicans
are
considering
in
perspective,
consider
these
[Congressional
Budget
Office]
estimates:
A
Medicaid
work
requirement
saves
$109
billion.
Eliminating
enhanced
federal
matching
payments
for
the
ACA
Medicaid
expansion
saves
$604
billion,”
Larry
Levitt,
KFF
executive
vice
president
for
health
policy,
wrote
on
X.
Hours
after
the
proposal
was
introduced,
the
American
Hospital
Association
issued
a
statement
urging
Congress
to
“take
seriously”
the
impact
of
Medicaid
spending
cuts.
“While
some
have
suggested
dramatic
reductions
in
the
Medicaid
program
as
part
of
a
reconciliation
vehicle,
we
would
urge
Congress
to
reject
that
approach.
Medicaid
provides
healthcare
to
many
of
our
most
vulnerable
populations,
including
pregnant
women,
children,
the
elderly,
disabled
and
many
of
our
working
class,”
”
stated
CEO
and
President
Rick
Pollack.
Photo:
TimAbramowitz,
Getty
Images
Kathryn
