Tag: Medicaid cuts

What happens when the federal government eliminates health coverage? Lessons from the past

The following article by Simon Haeder was posted on the Conversation website June 23, 2017:

David Zalubowski/AP

After much secrecy and no public deliberation, Senate Republicans finalized release their “draft” repeal and replace bill for the Affordable Care Act on June 22. Unquestionably, the released “draft” will not be the final version.

Amendments and a potential, albeit not necessary, conference committee are likely to make some adjustments. However, both the House version – American Health Care Act (AHCA) – and the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) will significantly reduce coverage for millions of Americans and reshape insurance for virtually everyone. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to provide final numbers early the week of June 26.

If successful, the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act would be in rare company. Even though the U.S. has been slower than any other Western country to develop a safety net, the U.S. has rarely taken back benefits once they have been bestowed on its citizenry. Indeed, only a small number of significant cases come to mind. Continue reading “What happens when the federal government eliminates health coverage? Lessons from the past”

How Medicaid Cuts Could Hurt Education and Lead to Middle-Class Tax Hikes

The following article by Harry Stein and Sundus Alfi was posted on the Center for American Progress website June 6, 2017:

AP/Ross D. Franklin
Francisco Felix sits with his wife and daughters in their home in Laveen, Arizona, as they fill out paperwork for the National Transplant Assistance Fund, November 16, 2010.

The House of Representatives recently passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and cut Medicaid by $834 billion over 10 years.1 Due to cuts in Medicaid, as well as other changes, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the AHCA would take health insurance from 23 million Americans by 2025.2President Donald Trump supports this legislation despite pledging not to cut Medicaid.3

The AHCA is only the beginning. President Trump’s budget calls for $610 billion in additional Medicaid cuts over 10 years on top of the cuts in the AHCA.4 And previous budgets from House Republican leaders also recommended Medicaid cuts that exceed the cuts in the AHCA.5 The most significant impact of these Medicaid cuts would be the disruption of health care services for working families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities.6 Continue reading “How Medicaid Cuts Could Hurt Education and Lead to Middle-Class Tax Hikes”

Trump’s plans to cut food stamps could hit his supporters hardest

The following article by Caitlin Dewey and Tracy Jan was posted on the Washington Post website May 22, 2017:

A couple pushes a cart of free groceries to their car at the Five Loaves and Two Fishes Food Bank outside of the struggling coal mining town of Welch, W.Va., on May 20. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

President Trump’s anticipated cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps, will likely be felt most in regions of the country with chronic high rates of unemployment — from the rural Southeast to aging manufacturing towns to Indian reservations.

People in those regions are temporarily exempt from national work requirements for the SNAP program, because there are not enough jobs there for everyone who wants one.

But there is growing anticipation that the budget to be unveiled on Tuesday could incorporate proposals drafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation that would eliminate or curtail the unemployment-rate waivers. That means the federal government could cut off assistance to unemployed adults who live in areas where few jobs are available. Continue reading “Trump’s plans to cut food stamps could hit his supporters hardest”