Senate Plan Could Saddle States With $565M In Medicaid Spending And Credit Problems
A credit agency and a think tank each issue reports looking at the impact of the bill to replace the health law advanced by Senate leaders. Meanwhile, tensions are running high both on Capitol Hill and in states from Kentucky to California about possible reductions in federal funding for Medicaid.
Reuters:
States' Medicaid Spending To Increase Under Senate Bill: Report
The now-delayed U.S. Senate healthcare overhaul bill would boost state spending on Medicaid by $565 million in 2022, according to an independent report issued on Wednesday, while credit agencies said it would cause states to face downward pressure on their credit ratings. Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday postponed the vote on the bill, which they hoped would take place before their July 4 recess. (Kelly, 6/28)
Politico:
Portman And McConnell Clash Over Health Bill
Senate Republicans’ health care fight is getting personal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rob Portman, close allies and typically mild-mannered men, got into a heated exchange over Medicaid at a meeting earlier this week. (Bresnahan and Kim, 6/29)
The New York Times:
In McConnell’s Own State, Fear And Confusion Over Health Care Bill
Dewey Gorman, a 59-year-old banker who has struggled with opioid addiction, had just gotten out of the hospital in this tiny central Appalachian city when he heard the word from Washington: His fellow Kentuckian, Senator Mitch McConnell, had delayed a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He felt torn about that. “It’s broken. It’s broken very badly,” Mr. Gorman said of former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. “But if they want to take away insurance from 22 million people — a lot of them would come from these mountains. That would be devastating to our area.” (Stolberg, 6/28)
The Washington Post:
How Trump Is A Little Bit Right And A Lot Bit Wrong About Medicaid
President Trump on Wednesday said that the Republican plan to change Medicaid would lead to an increase in spending, not a cut, accusing Democrats of having “purposely misstated” the facts. In a literal sense, he's right. The total amount of money spent on Medicaid under the Senate Republican plan would grow, albeit slowly, from 2017 to 2026. But the accounting he uses to show Medicaid spending is wildly divergent from the way budget analysts, policymakers and many lawmakers account for spending levels. (Paletta and Johnson, 6/28)
USA Today:
Senate Republican Health Care: Trump Accuses Democrats Of Lying On Medicaid Cuts
President Trump accused Democrats of lying about the projected Medicaid cuts in the Republican health care plan, but they didn't. They're just counting different things. (Jackson and Groppe, 6/28)
Los Angeles Times:
Senate Health Bill Would Leave Medi-Cal With $115-Billion Shortfall Through 2027, Analysis Finds
The Senate healthcare bill released last week would leave California short $115 billion for its Medi-Cal program between 2020 and 2027, according to a state analysis released Wednesday. The Medi-Cal program, which is jointly funded by the state and federal government, grew dramatically under the Affordable Care Act to cover 13.5 million Californians, or 1 out of 3 state residents. (Karlamangla, 6/28)
Kaiser Health News:
Calif. Officials Sound Alarm, Envisioning $114B Hit To Medi-Cal Under U.S. Senate Bill
California risks losing $114.6 billion in federal funds within a decade for its Medicaid program under the Senate health care bill, a decline that would require the state to completely dismantle and rebuild the public insurance program that now serves one-third of the state, health leaders said Wednesday. The reductions in the nation’s largest Medicaid program would start at $3 billion in 2020 and would escalate to $30.3 billion annually by 2027, according to an analysis released by the state departments of finance and health care services. (Gorman, 6/28)
NPR:
Veterans Who Rely On Medicaid Fear GOP's Planned Cuts
Air Force veteran Billy Ramos, from Simi Valley, Calif., is 53 and gets health insurance for himself and for his family from Medicaid — the government insurance program for lower-income people. He says he counts on the coverage, especially because of his physically demanding work as a self-employed contractor in the heating and air conditioning business. (O'Neill, 6/28)
Politico:
Opioid Cash May Sweeten Senate Health Bill For Moderates
The one near-certainty in GOP efforts to patch up their failed Obamacare repeal bill over the July Fourth break is that they will add more money to combat the opioid crisis. That may entice some moderate lawmakers to support the bill. But it will do little to fulfill Donald Trump’s campaign promise to address the crisis devastating so many communities. And it certainly won’t make up for the Medicaid cuts that many members of his own opioid commission oppose because tens of thousands of people who are addicted to the drugs would lose regular health coverage. (Karlin-Smith, 6/29)
WBUR:
GOP Senators From Opioid-Ravaged States Uneasy About Health Care Bill
[Chelsea] Carter estimates about 90 percent of the people that come into her clinic for treatment for substance use disorders are on Medicaid, the federal program for the poor that West Virginia chose to expand under the Affordable Care Act.The Senate health care bill would phase out that expansion and, over time, make cuts to traditional Medicaid as well (as compared to the anticipated spending under current law). (Keith, 6/29)
