White House Vows No Medicaid Cuts—Except to Those Who Don’t Deserve Benefits
“The White House plans to confront resistance to Medicaid cuts from Senate Republicans by arguing that any reductions in coverage would only affect people who didn’t deserve it in the first place.
A strong bloc of Republicans in the Senate has signaled that they are uncomfortable with Medicaid reductions in the sweeping tax-and-spending bill enacted last month by the House. President Donald Trump’s advisers are determined to confront those concerns by claiming that cuts would chiefly target undocumented immigrants and able-bodied people who should not be on Medicaid, according to four administration officials and outside allies granted anonymity to discuss strategy.
“This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more common sense,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said Sunday. “That’s what this bill does. No one will lose coverage as a result.”
Contrary to Trump officials’ claims, such cuts are widely anticipated to go beyond immigrants and the narrow slice of able-bodied unemployed, according to health experts. The provisions would likely add new layers of paperwork for low-income enrollees, making it more difficult for qualified recipients to stay on the program and pushing otherwise-eligible Americans suddenly out of health coverage.”
Read more at Politico.