States Prepare for Cuts To Medicaid

With Trumpcare passing its first legislative hurdle in the House of Representatives and reports of Senate Republicans trying to quickly usher their own version through, Americans around the country are bracing for the devastating cuts to Medicaid that are all but inevitable:

 

New JerseyThe Star-Ledger: “New Jersey taxpayers would have to pay an extra $810 million to cover the 560,000 residents now receiving health care under the Medicaid expansion that the House Republican legislation would repeal.”

 

Colorado The Denver Post: “Colorado could be on the hook for spending close to $700 million more per year by 2023 if the federal government does away with its enhanced contribution to the Medicaid expansion.”

 

FloridaWUSF: “Georgetown Study: Rural Florida Hit Hardest By Trump Medicaid Cuts”

 

Rhode Island Providence Journal: “Nearly 70,000 low-income Rhode Islanders — many of whom work at low-wage jobs with no health benefits — gained coverage when the Affordable Care Act allowed states to expand Medicaid. Three people share their fears about losing that health-care lifeline.”

 

West Virginia – The Herald Dispatch: “Through eliminating the enhanced matching rate the federal government pays states to cover Medicaid expansion, West Virginia's share of the cost of the expansion would double, reaching $88.1 million by 2021, according to new estimates from the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute based out of Washington that focuses on budget and policy matters related to low-income people.”

 

Arizona HavasuNews: “It is unclear how much the U.S. Congress will ultimately cut from the program; however, some believe it could hurt the most vulnerable in society including those who are developmentally disabled and special education children. The House version of the American Health Care Act proposes to cut up to $880 billion from Medicaid over 10 years, which could have a debilitating effect on caring for and educating children with special needs.”

 

Arizona Arizona Public Radio: “Fifty-four percent of children in Arizona living in small towns and rural areas got health coverage through the state's Medicaid program in 2015, a study said.That's compared to 36 percent of children in metropolitan areas, according to the report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families about the program, known by the acronym AHCCCS.”

 

Wisconsin NPR: “President Trump and Republicans in Congress have proposed massive cuts to Medicaid's budget over the next decade, and Nancy and Dan Gapinski worry that the services they used for Ben won't be there if he needs them in the future, or be there for other families.”

 

Georgia NPR: “Nodvin can live independently because of these services that are covered in Georgia under Medicaid, the government health insurance for people with disabilities and the poor. According to the Georgia Department of Community Health, the state spends about 6 percent of its Medicaid budget on services for people with developmental disabilities. When Congress started to talk about making big changes to Medicaid in the health care bill in March, Nodvin went to Washington, D.C., with a group of advocates to lobby.”

 

Louisiana NOLA.com: “Medicaid's enrollment has swollen to more than 72 million in recent years, and the ranks of uninsured residents fell to 9 percent in 2015 from 13 percent in 2013. That's largely due to the Affordable Care Act, which let states expand Medicaid eligibility with federal funds. Thirty-one states, including Louisiana, and the District of Columbia did so.”

 

Pennsylvania U.S. News: “Cindy Jennings, 53, of Lititz, Pa., who attended the Washington rally, said she fears the loss of Medicaid coverage under the Republican plan or reduced coverage for her son, Matthew. He is disabled and unable to speak because he was born with a chromosome abnormality.

‘It's frustrating and scary,’ she said. ‘I need to stay healthy to care for him.’”