Potential Changes to Medicaid Funding Could Impact Thousands
In a recent development, Georgia Representative Austin Scott has indicated that House Republicans may consider reducing federal financial support for states under Medicaid expansion. This potential change could lead to a significant number of Americans losing their health insurance coverage.
The comments were made during an interview with Fox Business on April 22. Scott pointed out, “When the Dems expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, they made that percentage match 90-10, so the federal government is paying 90% of the Medicaid expansion. What we have talked about is moving that 90% level of the expansion back to the more traditional levels of 50% to approximately 80%.”
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare, states were encouraged to expand Medicaid with the federal government covering up to 90% of the associated costs. This policy enabled millions of previously uninsured adults to gain access to health insurance.
Republican-led legislatures in ten states, including key swing states like Georgia and Wisconsin, have opted not to expand Medicaid. Notably, seven of these states rank among the top 20 for having the highest proportions of uninsured residents, according to KFF data.
Additionally, twelve states, such as Arizona and North Carolina, have enacted trigger laws that would terminate Medicaid expansion if the federal funding rate drops below 90% as proposed by Scott.
The Center for American Progress conducted an analysis, first reported by The Hill, which suggests that reducing Medicaid expansion could result in over 34,000 additional deaths annually.
Currently, around 72 million Americans rely on Medicaid for their health coverage needs.
Scott’s proposal is being considered for inclusion in a reconciliation bill that House Republicans are drafting. This legislation aims to reduce federal spending by $1.5 trillion, partly to support tax cut extensions for high-income earners, as detailed by NPR.
Economists caution that achieving such savings without substantial reductions to Medicaid or other safety net programs would be highly challenging.
Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the House, criticized Scott’s proposal. On X, she stated, “The GOP is getting ready to take away your health care. This is just overturning the ACA by another name and for one purpose: to hand more money to billionaires.” Her comments can be viewed here.
More details on the evolving situation can be found in the original article by American Journal News.
—
Read More Kitchen Table News
