Washington, D.C. — A new issue brief from the Center for American Progress describes how Medicaid proposals that Congressional Republicans claim will give states greater flexibility are in fact a smoke screen for their plans to slash federal funding for the program.
Congressional Republicans are eagerly taking steps to strip health care from millions of people by repealing the Affordable Care Act—including the law’s Medicaid expansion—without any credible plan in place to protect them. They also plan to drastically restructure the Medicaid program to make coverage less secure for those lucky enough to remain enrolled in the program after the repeal of Medicaid expansion.
“Make no mistake, Congress will attempt to slash Medicaid funding under the guise of providing greater flexibility to the states,” said Maura Calsyn, CAP Director of Health Policy and co-author of the paper. “Either through block grants or per capita caps, states will be given less federal money to spend on care, which over time will result in millions of beneficiaries losing coverage. Those who are left will face more limited eligibility, curtailed benefits, and greater cost sharing—all done in the name of greater state flexibility.”
The brief also highlights the risk posed to the Medicaid program by various administrative actions that the Trump administration could take to further undermine Medicaid.
Click to read The Republicans’ Plan for Medicaid: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.