Both the US House and Senate passed a budget resolution April 29 for the fiscal year beginning October 1. Included in the budget were $10 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program. While this figure is disappointing, it is a dramatically lower cut than was expected at the onset of budget negotiations. The many letters, emails, and phone calls from members contributed to lessening the impact of Medicaid cuts on consumers and clients.
Status
of the Medicaid Commission
Early in the week establishment of a bipartisan Medicaid commission appeared
imminent. Then in Capitol Hill discussions Wednesday and Thursday the agreement
began to disintegrate. A resolution had passed the House in support of the
commission structure previously established by the Senate in the Smith/Bingaman
amendment. However, it was a non-binding resolution; while a majority of House
members voted for the resolution there was nothing in it to ensure the resolution
would become a formal part of the resultant budget bill.
While there are $10 billion in cuts to Medicaid written into the final budget bill there is no detail on the types of cuts or from which programs those cuts should come. Decisions regarding such matters will be decided by select House and Senate committees during the federal budget’s reconciliation process this summer. The process should be completed by mid-September. Discussion of a Medicaid commission remains – but whether it will be partisan or bipartisan remains to be seen, as does the commission’s structure and objectives.
Next
Steps
Members must continue to state that Medicaid cuts hurt the poor and vulnerable
during budget discussions with federal and state officials. During the PCPA
June 7 lobby day in Harrisburg and in contacts with federal legislators in
district offices, members can refer to information previously shared regarding
Medicaid cuts (access the General News Archive at www.paproviders.org). PCPA
will continue to monitor information at the national level regarding the commission’s
status and composition, as well as further efforts in which members can engage
to save Medicaid. To review a preliminary chart by FamiliesUSA that shows
how Medicaid cuts may affect individual states access: www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/House_Senate__10_billion.pdf.
Questions about federal Medicaid may be directed to Kris Ericson (kris@paproviders.org) or Melissa DiSanto Simmons (melissa@paproviders.org) at PCPA.
PCPA acknowledges FamiliesUSA for providing background information on the final budget bill.
