Washington, D.C. — House Republicans’ radical new budget plan would require states to implement Medicaid work reporting requirements for adults enrolled through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion. Under this proposal, nonpregnant, nondisabled, noncaregiver adults ages 19 to 64 would be required to document at least 80 hours per month of work or qualifying activities, such as volunteering, in order to maintain their Medicaid coverage.
A new Center for American Progress analysis estimates how House Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts would cause hundreds of avoidable deaths each year in many congressional districts.
Estimates from the Center for American Progress show that 6.9 million people losing coverage by 2034 as a result of House Republicans’ proposed paperwork requirements would lead to more than 21,600 avoidable deaths nationally each year. This translates to lives lost in every congressional district with Medicaid enrollees. Among those with the largest number of avoidable deaths that would result from the Medicaid work requirements proposal include:
- Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV): 212 avoidable deaths annually
- Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE): 187 avoidable deaths annually
- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY): 130 avoidable deaths annually
“House Republicans’ proposals to cut Medicaid, including by imposing onerous paperwork requirements, would kick millions off their health care and have deadly results for tens of thousands of Americans each year. These estimates are not hysterical. In states that have implemented these coverage restrictions, we have already seen that people have lost their lives after losing Medicaid coverage,” said Natasha Murphy, director of health policy at CAP and co-author of the analysis.
Read the analysis: “House Republicans’ Medicaid Cuts and Associated Lives Lost by Congressional District” by Natasha Murphy and Andrea Ducas
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].