Republicans in Washington are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program.
To cut down the federal budget, the GOP-controlled Congress is eyeing work requirements for Medicaid, according to the Associated Press. It’s also considering paying a shrunken, fixed rate to states.
All told, over the next decade, Republican lawmakers could try to siphon billions of dollars from the nearly-free health care coverage offered to the poorest Americans, the news agency said.
The $880 billion Medicaid program is financed mostly by federal taxpayers, who pick up as much as 80% of the tab in some states.
In addition, the Republican administration announced it would shrink the Affordable Care Act’s navigator program annual budget by 90% to $10 million. Navigators are stationed throughout the country to help people enroll in ACA and Medicaid coverage and are credited with boosting the programs’ enrollment in recent years.
