Dear editor:
“Republicans slashed Medicaid funding.” This is the false talking point promoted by the Democrats and their media lackeys.
H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, does the opposite. It preserves the benefits for those that Medicaid was designed for; low-income elderly needing nursing care, the disabled, the poor and children in low-income families.
The fact is that Medicaid spending will still increase over the next 10 years from the current level of $656 billion this year to $861 billion in 2034. That is a slower growth rate than before the legislation became law.
These numbers are reported in a letter to congressional leaders referencing the “scoring” (review) of the legislation by the Congressional Budget Office. Please see the link here:
In order to protect the program’s long term financial viability, there are changes to the way the program works.
First, there is a work requirement for those who are “able-bodied” and without children in order for them to stay on the program. That is 4.8 million people who can and should contribute to our economy. They may find employment that offers health benefits and then no longer be in the Medicaid program. That would take the burden off the taxpayers and also produce revenue from the taxes they and their employer pays.
Second, there is an estimated 1.4 million Medicaid enrollees who are ineligible because they are not citizens or do not meet their required immigration status. These are people who entered our country illegally and should not be enrolled in a taxpayer-funded program.
Third, state governments have been artificially increasing their Medicaid payments from the federal government by creating “provider” taxes. This is a scheme whereby states impose a tax on nursing homes and hospitals to increase the cost for these providers. It results in higher reimbursement for the federal government’s share of Medicaid.
Worst of all, with this kind of manipulation, it is that those patients not eligible for Medicaid pay higher private rates to the nursing homes and hospitals in their states either directly or through their private insurance.
Finally, through investigation, the Trump Administration has discovered that there is more than $14 billion of Medicaid payments for people who are enrolled in the program in more than one state. Each state is getting paid for the same person through this program even though that individual, if eligible, should only be enrolled in one state.
There is no incentive for a state to report that someone is enrolled in their state and another state since both states are receiving our federal taxpayer provided dollars; a benefit to each state’s bottom line.
On top of this, the federal investigators have discovered that some people are enrolled in both Medicaid and the individual market through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (aka Obamacare). For those individuals the federal government and the state government is paying for their Medicaid benefits and the federal government is also subsidizing their private health care “exchange” policy; all of which is paid for by us; the taxpayers.
Just the facts.
Sincerely,
Ross Schriftman, Casper
