With $880 billion in funding cuts to Medicaid on the table, a large group of policy experts and stakeholders representing patients, seniors, individuals with disabilities, hospitals, pediatricians and those who care for the more than 70 million Americans on Medicaid are calling on Congress to oppose cuts to the program.
Ahead of and following the House vote on its budget resolution, they issued stark warnings about the severe, real-world consequences of Medicaid cuts, including stripping essential health care from children, seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families and threatening the stability of communities, state budgets, hospitals and providers.
- American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: “ACS CAN opposes cuts that will increase the number of uninsured nationwide by severing the lifeline Medicaid provides for cancer patients and those at risk for cancer. It is imperative for cancer patients and millions more at risk that this valuable health insurance program be protected.”
- American Hospital Association: “On behalf of the hospitals, nurses, doctors and those who care for and serve the needs of the 72 million patients that rely on Medicaid, we urge you to consider the implications of hinging the budget reconciliation bill’s fate on removing health care access for millions of our nation’s patients. These are hardworking families, children, seniors, veterans, and disabled individuals who rely on essential health care services.”
- American Lung Association + 37 leading national patient advocacy organizations: “Our organizations strongly oppose the House budget resolution, which requires massive cuts that can only be achieved by decimating the Medicaid program. There is no way to make cuts of this magnitude without taking healthcare away from seniors, children, and people with disabilities and chronic health conditions.”
- Association of American Medical Colleges: “We remain extremely concerned that the budget resolution’s reconciliation instructions would result in unsustainable cuts to federal health programs, specifically Medicaid, by requiring at least $880 billion in savings from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Cuts of this magnitude would jeopardize both access to care for millions of Medicaid enrollees and the financial stability of providers who care for them.”
- Association for Community Affiliated Plans: “Cuts to Medicaid of the scope contemplated here would force states to restrict eligibility or reduce benefits, leaving families without access to preventive care and treatment – and sticking taxpayers with the bill for the subsequent, higher-intensity care that will inevitably be needed later on.”
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “The House Republican budget passed today calls for massive cuts in health coverage, food assistance, and help paying for college, among some other areas, to pay for huge tax giveaways for wealthy households and businesses. This betrays President Trump’s campaign promises to protect families who struggle financially, as well as his specific pledge to not cut Medicaid, which provides health coverage for 72 million people.”
- Children’s Hospital Association: “The House budget resolution’s directive to the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion in spending will almost certainly lead to deep reductions in Medicaid funding for children who rely on the program and destabilize the financial viability of providers caring for them.”
- Federation of American Hospitals: “Key Republican lawmakers – recognizing that so many constituents rely on Medicaid for critical care – made it clear that their vote today was based on an understanding the final reconciliation bill would not include devastating Medicaid cuts or changes. That is gratifying – it’s important that these members came to the same conclusion the President did: Medicaid cuts are off the table.”
- Georgetown University Center for Children and Families: “The draconian Medicaid cuts under consideration largely involve severe cost shifts to states through per capita caps, reductions in federal support for the Medicaid expansion and other changes to federal Medicaid matching rates, and restrictions on state use of provider taxes, as well as proposals such as work reporting requirements that add onerous red tape that would substantially cut enrollment among millions of eligible people.”
- Healthcare Leadership Council: “Deep cuts to the Medicaid program could jeopardize this critical lifeline for our nation’s most vulnerable — including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. This is especially true in rural communities where provider shortages threaten the availability of medical services. As budget legislation is considered, we urge Congress to protect Medicaid funding while pursuing targeted reforms that strengthen the program without compromising access to care.”
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: “The House took the first step in advancing a budget that, if enacted by Congress, would lead to drastic, harmful cuts to Medicaid. This is disappointing news for all Americans but especially people affected by mental health conditions. Medicaid is a lifeline to tens of millions of people who rely on this coverage to access mental health services. This budget resolution puts access to those services at risk, potentially harming the one in three people with mental illness who rely on Medicaid.”
- Protect Our Care: “Medicaid is an essential pillar of our health care system with over 70 million Americans currently covered through the program. The GOP budget slashes Medicaid and would have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable Americans, including low-income seniors, children, veterans, people with serious disabilities, and people who take care of their children or elderly parents.
The Modern Medicaid Alliance and its partners continues to call on Congress to block any Medicaid cuts or harmful policy proposals as part of the ongoing budget process.
For more information on Medicaid’s vital role, visit https://modernmedicaid.org.