Every time a baby is born in Louisiana, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson Taxpayers who were reelection last year have a 60% chance of funding their births Through Medicaid.
Republican official. David Baradao In the Central California area, six in 10 people will use Medicaid to pay for doctor visits and emergency room trips.
And a third of the population is covered by GOP Senator Lisa Markowski, Alaska Senator Medicaid.
Each of these Republicans, and some of their conservative colleagues, had lined up last week to protect Medicaid, leaving longtime GOP policies. Republicans who have already ruled out massive cuts in Social Security and Medicare have been paying attention to siphoning $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade, helping to cover the $4.5 trillion tax cut.
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However, as a deadline Avoid partial government closures Closer, Republican lawmakers in Washington – once a reliable critic of high-ranking government social welfare programs such as Medicaid – are hesitant to say that deep cuts in healthcare programs prove to be too unacceptable for those returning home.
“I've heard from countless constituents who have said that the only way you can afford healthcare is through programs like Medicaid,” Baradao said on the House floor. “And I don't support the ultimate settlement bill that risks leaving them behind.”
And on Wednesday, President Donald Trump also revealed his position on Medicaid: “We're not going to touch on it.”
The state and federal governments are co-paying with Medicaid, which offers almost free medical coverage to around 80 million poor and disabled Americans, including millions of children. It cost $880 billion to run in 2023.
Johnson ruled out two of the biggest potential cuts. Paying a fixed reduction rate to the states for care and changing the calculation of the share of federal dollars each state has received for Medicaid. Just a few years ago, Johnson was at the forefront. Report It lobbyed some of those changes during the first Trump administration.
In an interview with CNN, Johnson instead claimed that he could steal fraud, waste and abuse, but it is unlikely that he would deliver the savings Republicans want.
The GOP's pressure on Medicaid is growing, with some party leaders taking part in calls to maintain the program. The state is I'm already struggling Costs for sick patients are increasing and if the federal government recedes, they could be left to cover more. In some states, the federal government has earned more than 80%.
A Minnesota GOP lawmaker recently warned the president that “too deep cuts are in control of any instance.” Gov. Joe Lombardo, r-nev. I said Congress wrote in a letter saying, “The proposed cuts put lives at risk.” In Alaska, Republican and nurse state senator Kathy Gisell cited “huge concerns” during her floor speech.
A January poll from the Associated Press Center for Public Affairs found that 55% of Americans say the government spends too much on Medicaid.
“It's a very popular program that currently touches on a very broad section of American society,” said Drew Altman, president of healthcare research firm KFF. “Around half of the American people say they or their families were served by the program at once.”
Major Medicaid changes are still on the table. They are needed to get the savings Republicans need to pay for tax cuts.
Work requirements, Save up to $109 billion over the next 10 yearsappears to have solid support among GOP members, and some individual Republican-led states are already moving to implement them.
Republicans can also consider reducing benefits and coverage, not only by eliminating the provider tax used by states to raise Medicaid funds, Altman added.
Democrats warn that cuts are inevitable and can be miserable.
Starting Monday, TV ads warn people in 20 Congressional districts that hospitals are at risk of closures, and that Republicans could lose reports saying they would cut Medicaid and “fund a massive tax cut for Elon Musk and the billionaire.” The majority forward of the Democratic Superpolitical Action Committee has launched a seven-figure campaign.
Trump and Republicans have been called for years to reduce government spending on healthcare, but they have struggled to develop serious plans to gain traction. Trump, for example, has spent nearly a decade advocating for an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. His efforts to abolish the Obama-era National Health Act failed during his first term, and in his latest presidential election he only offered the “concept of a plan” to adapt the program.
Michael Cannon, director of health research at the Libertarian Cato Institute, believes Medicaid needs an overhaul as it is a key part of the federal budget and a contributor to the country's growing debt.
But Republicans aren't looking for serious ways to keep healthcare costs down, he said.
“The only reason for the cuts now is to pay for the tax cut,” Cannon said. “None of them talk about the need to make better health reforms.”
