N.J. Hospital Association CEO Cathy Bennett was saddened but not surprised when she got her first look at the proposed Medicaid cuts from the reconciliation language in the House Energy and Commerce Committee — the one that aims to cut at least $880 million, mostly from Medicaid.
“Medicaid matters to New Jersey’s vulnerable seniors, people with disabilities, pregnant women, children, and low-income working families and veterans,” she said. “Our hospitals proudly care for all who rely on NJFamilyCare for essential health care services.
“Proposed federal Medicaid spending cuts threaten to disrupt care and weaken this essential lifeline to care for 1.8 million New Jerseyans and destabilize New Jersey’s health care system.”
She wasn’t the only one from Jersey who was upset.
Representative Frank Pallone (D, 6th District), the top Democrat on the panel, was right there with her.
“In no uncertain terms, millions of Americans will lose their health care coverage,” he said.
“Hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes,” Pallone added.
Of course, all of this was expected. Republicans are looking to make cuts in services — to pay for President Trump’s desire to cut taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
But never ever R&D is falling in line.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R, Missouri), in an opinion piece in the N.Y. Times, said cuts to Medicaid are wrong.
“Mr. Trump has promised working-class tax cuts and protection for working-class social insurance, such as Medicaid. But now a noisy contingent of corporatist Republicans — call it the party’s Wall Street wing — is urging Congress to ignore all that and get back to the old-time religion: corporate giveaways, preferences for capital and deep cuts to social insurance,” he wrote.
“This wing of the party wants Republicans to build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.”
