Latest news with #Medicaid-related
Politico
10-07-2025
- Health
- Politico
Republicans in Washington are nervous about Medicaid. Not in Valadao's California district
Hospitals in the district also rely on the program to keep their doors open. They collectively receive $820 million a year from it, and roughly 50 percent of their patients are enrolled in Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid. Medi-Cal is the largest payer for every hospital Valadao represents, including Kern Medical Center, which gets more than 70 percent of its funding from the public insurance program, according to data compiled by the California Health Care Foundation. Valadao himself has been aware of the liability of cutting Medicaid. Confronting a months-long barrage of Medicaid-related attack ads in his district, he lobbied — ultimately unsuccessfully — against deeper cuts to the program in the Senate version of the megabill that eventually passed. Valadao's office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday but did release a 555-word statement after his vote calling it a 'hard decision.' 'Ultimately, I voted for this bill because it does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly,' he said. He went on to tout funding for rural hospitals and said the Trump administration assured him that money would benefit hospitals in Valadao's district. While Senate Republicans included $50 billion over five years for rural hospitals , it's unclear how much of that will come to California and if it would be enough to keep hospitals open. Amanda McAllister-Wallner, executive director of the progressive health consumer advocacy group Health Access, said the discretion written into the bill is meant to help hospitals in Missouri, not the Central Valley. 'We think of California as rural, but it's not always what the national definition of 'rural' would be,' she said. 'Fresno and Bakersfield are pretty big cities in the context of the United States at large.' A list of hospitals circulated by Senate Democrats identified 28 rural hospitals in California that could close under the budget deal. None are strictly in Valadao's district but several, like Mountains Community Hospital and Adventist Health in Tehachapi and Reedley, are in surrounding areas.
Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Republican Unloads Medicaid-Related Stock Before Voting For Trump Tax Bill
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Republican Congressman sold a Medicaid-related stock before voting for President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package, which affects Medicaid. In May, Pennsylvania Representative Robert Bresnahan sold stocks in Centene Corporation, a healthcare company that works as an intermediary for government and private healthcare programs, while debates about the tax package, called the "One Big, Beautiful Bill," continued. The trade has recently been made publicly available. Newsweek contacted representatives for Bresnahan by email outside of business hours to comment on this story. Why It Matters The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" 218 votes to 214 after months of internal GOP divisions and last-minute negotiations. UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rep.-elect Robert Bresnahan, R-Pa., poses for a photo on the House steps after freshman members of Congress posed for their class photo on the House steps of the Capitol on... UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rep.-elect Robert Bresnahan, R-Pa., poses for a photo on the House steps after freshman members of Congress posed for their class photo on the House steps of the Capitol on Friday, November 15, 2024. More Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images The legislation extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, and boosts funding for immigration enforcement and defense. The bill will also reduce Department of Health and Human Services budget by $880 billion over 10 years, which would include cuts to Medicaid alongside other measures such as implementing work requirements. The CBO estimates that the bill would result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance by 2034, with the majority of those people losing coverage from Medicaid. Meanwhile, members of Congress are allowed to buy and sell stocks, but the practice has attracted bipartisan criticism because of concerns it may facilitate insider trading, if lawmakers are privy to information about assets that could move markets. There are also concerns politicians with stock holdings can influence the assets they hold to inflate their share value. What To Know According to his financial disclosures, Bresnahan purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 in Centene Corporation on April 8. On May 15, he sold those stocks. This came a week before the legislation initially passed in the House. In July, it was reported that shares in the company fell almost 40 percent after the insurer predicted its 2025 revenues would be hit. The disclosures were first reported by data platform Quiver Quantitative, which claimed Bresnahan does not manage his own stock portfolio and plans to set up a blind trust. What People Are Saying Speaking to Newsweek, Veljko Fotak, a finance professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, said the trade "definitely is not appropriate." "It does suggest he thought the value of the shares would tank. His position allowed him to be a better judge of that probability than you or I. He did not have clear foresight—but he did have an unfair advantage, compared to other traders. "I will also say – the moral optics are made worse by the nature of the event. Profiting from inside information regarding the likelihood of legislation passing is ugly enough—when that inside information is about millions of individuals losing access to Medicare, the optics are somehow even worse.... This is Nero selling lumber while Rome is burning." On X, New Mexico Democrat Melanie Stansbury wrote: "This Congressman literally dumped stock in a Medicaid provider company right before this bill came to the Floor. Don't be fooled—these guys know exactly what they're doing." Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, wrote: "Protecting his stock portfolio while ripping away health care from 17 million Americans This is Washington at its worst. We need to ban Congressional stock trading."
Scientific American
03-07-2025
- Health
- Scientific American
How Massive Medicaid Cuts Will Harm People's Health
Money can't necessarily buy an individual good health—but for a society, it can. On July 3 the House of Representatives will vote on the Trump administration's new budget bill, which incorporates massive cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program that serves more than 70 million low-income people. The bill, which passed the Senate on July 1, would cut $930 billion from Medicaid, Medicare and Affordable Care Act funding combined over 10 years, with more than 11 million people losing coverage by 2034. Experts have calculated that, taken together, the cuts will lead to more than 51,000 additional deaths per year by decreasing people's access to health care. Experts say the evidence shows that gutting Medicaid will have dramatic effects on health far beyond people enrolled today—some of whom may not even realize they use Medicaid because the program goes by different names in different states. Even those with private insurance will be affected. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'When you slash $1 trillion from the health care system, you can't expect it not to have far-reaching harms,' says Megan Cole Brahim, a health policy researcher at Boston University. 'It will really affect everyone, including people who aren't enrolled in Medicaid.' The bill includes two main Medicaid-related provisions. One increases the requirements people must meet to qualify for and remain on Medicaid: This would drive down the total number of people who receive benefits, Cole Brahim says, leaving more people without coverage. The second provision reduces the amount of money the federal government sends to the states to fund Medicaid coverage. This will cause great variability in how different states handle the cuts, she notes, because each state will have authority to make its own choices about whether to try to scrounge up the funding from other sources to close the gap and maintain Medicaid access. Medicaid's Overall Health Impacts Cuts to Medicaid at the scale proposed in the House and Senate bills are unprecedented, Cole Brahim says, but scientists still have plenty of data to work from to predict the effects of such a massive cut. Researchers have tracked differences in health outcomes in states where Medicaid was expanded, particularly after the passage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. That legislation gave states the option of extending Medicaid coverage to more people, up to those with an income of 138 percent of the federal poverty level, with federal support. So far, 40 states and Washington, D.C., have opted for expansion—and researchers have monitored health outcomes over time in those states compared with states that did not. 'Medicaid expansion was really a natural experiment,' says Brian Lee, a transplant hepatologist at the University of Southern California, who was co-author of a 2022 study in the Lancet that evaluated death rates in conjunction with Medicaid expansion across the U.S. When Medicaid coverage was offered to more people, overall death rates fell by nearly 12 per 100,000 adults per year on average. Where states were home to more women or more Black people, the decline in death rate was larger. And Lee notes that the 2022 findings are just the bird's-eye view of the way Medicaid access shapes people's health. For example, studies have found that more people get diagnosed with chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Medicaid expansion states. Earlier diagnosis permits earlier treatment, which, logically, would reduce mortality rates over the course of decades. 'Medicaid expansion, in relative terms, is pretty new,' Lee says; the earliest states began implementing the program in 2014. 'A lot of people think that, actually, the best benefits are to come' —or at least, they thought that they were to come. Medicaid for Specific Needs The new policy changes won't just affect the people who lose access to Medicaid in the short term. 'This isn't a small program for a fraction of our population,' Cole Brahim says. 'It covers about one in five people, and the majority of people in the United States will have had Medicaid at some point in their life.' One key area in which Medicaid is crucial is older adult health services and other long-term support, including both home-based care and residential facilities, says Jasmine Travers Altizer, a researcher at New York University who studies aging. Two out of three people in the U.S. will require some form of long-term health services at some point in their life, she says. Even after people reach the age of 65, Medicare—a companion federally run insurance program for older adults —only covers nursing home and daily home health care services for 100 days, she notes. Many people don't have independent long-term care coverage, which can cost thousands of dollars a year in premiums, leaving them with no real alternative to Medicaid. And when people can't access proper medical care, they often need to rely on relatives for support, including full-time care—which comes with its own economic consequences for families and society at large. Our youngest populations also depend on Medicaid, Cole Brahim says. More than two in five births are paid for by the service —a proportion that rises to more than half for Black and Hispanic births. And although proponents of the Trump administration's Medicaid cuts say that these changes wouldn't affect pregnant people and kids, Cole Brahim notes that they would absolutely prevent some people from having coverage before pregnancy. 'Making sure people are connected to care before they become pregnant is really critical for maximizing health outcomes, both for the mom and the baby,' she says. Medicaid Cuts Lead to Provider Shortages All three experts emphasize a universal risk to Medicaid cuts: the reduction of health care facilities and personnel. Federal Medicaid funds are used to directly cover care of individuals on Medicaid, but this money indirectly keeps practitioners' and hospitals' doors open. The steep cuts to federal funding will ultimately mean doctors and hospitals have more trouble making ends meet. As facilities begin to close, people in affected communities—regardless of their insurance provider—will face longer wait times for appointments and longer travel times to facilities that are still in operation. People in more rural communities, which are already underserved, may lose care access entirely, even while remaining insured. Cole Brahim is particularly worried that obstetric and pediatric care will see more closures, noting that these departments are often less profitable because insurance providers already reimburse these services at lower rates, she says. Travers Altizer is also concerned about the cuts' effects on nursing homes, which are in crisis as well. In one recent survey of nursing home providers, 27 percent said they would have to close their facilities if Medicaid cuts occurred. Even more—58 percent—said they would need to reduce current staffing; 44 percent they would slow new hires. For Travers Altizer, those possibilities mark a return to the early days of COVID, when staffing shortages left some nursing home residents unable to get out of bed or otherwise meet basic needs. She also notes that people whose lose Medicaid coverage because of cuts will still need to seek care; they'll just do it in different ways—ways that are ultimately more expensive overall. Rather than primary care visits, people will lean on emergency rooms. Without skilled medical support, people will rely on friends and family. Without federal money, people will continue turning to online fundraising platforms such as GoFundMe at ever increasing rates. 'There's this big idea that we need to cut Medicaid [because] we need to save money, and Medicaid is this big federal government program,' Travers Altizer says. 'But taking away this support won't save money; it's going to shift costs.'
UPI
01-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Senate 'vote-a-rama' session on Trump budget bill enters second day
1 of 2 | Vice President JD Vance arrived at the Capitol on Tuesday, where he may be needed to cast the tiebreaking vote as Senators hold a marathon 'vote-a-rama' session on a sweeping bill containing President Donald Trump's budget and legislative agenda. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 1 (UPI) -- Although Vice President JD Vance's arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, it is unclear if GOP senators may see some sort of finish line for the ongoing vote-a-rama session in regard to President Donald Trump's legislative agenda. The marathon vote-a-rama, a period when senators can put forth an unlimited stack of amendments and force repeated votes, began Monday morning. As of 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the session neared its 23rd straight hour. As vice president, Vance would serve as the tiebreaker vote in the bill's passage, which remains close despite the 53-47 GOP majority present. However, four Republicans remain as no votes, which means even Vance can't push the agenda to Trump's desk for his signature without at least one current 'no' flipping. The Republican who is reportedly the focus of the GOP leadership is Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, whose request for provisos that would protect Medicaid recipients in her home state were ruled out of order by the Senate parliamentarian. Senators Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R- Utah, are also apparently holdouts over their Medicaid-related amendment, while Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, had her proposed rural hospital relief fund amendment voted down. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced Saturday he wouldn't support the Senate's version of the legislation as he purported it contained "significant changes to Medicaid that would be devastating" to his home state, and he has not indicated he has changed his stance. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has also been viewed as a no due to his stance against how the bill could raise the federal debt limit by $5 trillion, although he does apparently have a related amendment up for a vote that would shrink the increase to only $500 billion. No Democrats in the Senate have expressed any interest in passing the bill. "The Republicans still can't get it together," posted Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to X Tuesday, who then alleged "It's because they're trying to rip away health care from 17 million Americans."
The Herald Scotland
29-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Medicaid cuts, SNAP reforms: What's in the Senate tax bill
Supporters are emphasizing the chief engine of the Senate's proposal - extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts - and significant boosts to military and border security spending. They are also proceeding despite needing to remove sections of their bill that didn't meet the Senate's unique rules that would have repealed student loan relief and environmental regulations, restricting federal judges' powers and the Trump administration's efforts to bulk up immigration enforcement. More: Could Trump fail on tax bill? Why going 'big' doesn't always work out as planned "If you like higher taxes, open borders, a weak military and unchecked government spending, this bill is your nightmare," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, chairman of the Budget Committee, said in a statement. Graham's team did have to make several adjustments in recent days. Certain Medicaid-related proposals were also left on the Senate cutting room floor. But other reforms - including new work requirements for able-bodied Americans - survived a complex review process and are now on deck for approval in the upper chamber. The Trump administration "strongly supports" the Senate version of the bill, in a White House Office of Management and Budget statement June 28. "President Trump is committed to keeping his promises, and failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal," the statement said. Democrats are not on board with the legislation that Trump and Republicans have dubbed the "big, beautiful bill." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said the president's legislative agenda looks more like a "big, ugly betrayal" because it gives tax breaks to wealthier Americans while cutting services to low-income people. "I am dedicated and determined to fight these kinds of changes that really impact adversely everybody in Connecticut and the country," Blumenthal said in a June 27 video posted to X. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, has been working behind the scenes to whip his members into a consensus. He's got support from Trump, who has spent days putting public pressure on any GOP senators considering defection. But it's still far from clear if Thune and Trump will be successful. Here's a closer look at what's in the Senate bill as the weekend floor debate gets underway. Medicaid and SNAP Medicaid, which provides health insurance to more than 71 million low-income Americans, has been a regular point of contention for both chambers grappling with the legislation. After the House narrowly approved big changes to the program that would save at least $625 billion - and potentially cause 7.6 million Americans over the next 10 years to lose their health insurance - the Senate sought even deeper cuts. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough axed a handful of changes from the Senate bill, including prohibiting coverage for non-citizens and barring funds for gender-affirming care. The upper chamber's legislation maintains new work requirements and increased eligibility checks. The Senate plan seeks to force able-bodied adults to work 80 hours per month until age 65 to qualify for benefits, but it does include exemptions for parents or guardians of children under 14 and those with disabilities. Reforms to SNAP, another federal aid program long known as "food stamps," were sifted through the Senate's review process. MacDonough initially rejected Senate Republicans' attempt to push costs onto states. But the parliamentarian gave them the go ahead after Senate Republicans did some tweaking to the language that included giving states more time before they start paying. The latest version would also give Alaska and Hawaii temporary exemption from the cost-sharing and able-bodied requirements for up to two years, if the Agriculture secretary finds the two states are making a "good faith effort" to comply with the requirements. Many view the offer as a way to keep Alaska's two GOP senators, particularly Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in support of the overall bill. Extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts The heart of the legislation is an extension of the big tax cuts that Trump passed in 2017, which are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025. The highest earner would continue to be taxed at a 37% rate under the bill, instead of 39.6% if the tax cuts expired. For individuals making between $9,525 and $38,700, they would continue to be taxed at 12%, instead of the 15% rate that would kick in if the legislation doesn't pass. More: How much will Trump's tax bill save you? Gains could vary by income. The 2017 law made other big changes to tax policy that will remain in place under the Senate bill, including doubling the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 and nearly doubling the standard deduction. Other provisions in the 2017 tax law that affect both individuals and businesses will remain. "This bill prevents an over-$4 trillion tax hike and makes the successful 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, enabling families and businesses to save and plan for the future," Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said in unveiling the bill language. No taxes on tips, overtime Addressing one of Trump's most high-profile 2024 campaign promises, tipped employees like waiters and hairstylists would be able to claim a new tax deduction for tips through 2028, as could workers who are paid overtime wages. More: Americans are tired of tipping. Experts say no tax on tips could make things worse. The Senate kept this measure from the House version of the bill, but added on a $25,000 per year cap for the deduction and weakened the tax break for individuals whose income is above $150,000 or married couples making more than $300,000 combined. $5 trillion debt limit increase The Senate version looks to raise the nation's debt limit by $5 trillion, which is expected to aggravate fiscal hawks who were already concerned about the House bill, which projections say would raise that limit by $4 trillion. Including the language in this overall bill would give the federal government the OK to pay for programs that Congress has already authorized. Billions for U.S. military and 'Golden Dome' defense One area Republicans didn't spare an expense is defense spending, which some MAGA allies had suggested was "too much" in the lead up to the legislation's unveiling. More: Trump pushes $175 billion 'Golden Dome' missile defense plan The proposal injects roughly $150 billion into the military, including $9 billion for service members quality of life such as housing, healthcare, childcare and education. Another $1 billion is earmarked for border security, which Republican committee members have said will help carry out the president's immigration and "counter-drug enforcement" plans. One of the larger expenditures is $25 billion allotted for an initial investment in a "Golden Dome" missile defense shield that Trump promised will be fully operational by the end of his term in 2029. Green energy roll-backs A handful of moderate senators had pushed for a gentler approach to rolling back green energy tax credits passed under former President Joe Biden. The Senate's proposal heeds their call, slowing the phase-out of multiple clean energy provisions that the House had sought to eliminate more quickly. Billions for the border, deportations The Senate held onto the massive increase in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, increasing the department's budget by roughly $150 billion - which would more than double its current funding. The bill authorizes $45 billion for new immigration detention centers. Under the DHS umbrella, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement already operates more than 160 detention centers around the country. Many are full, as the Trump administration ramps up arrests of immigrants. Another $27 billion would go to fund the administration's mass deportation campaign, including to pay for 10,000 more deportation agents. ICE currently has about 6,000 deportation agents. At that funding level, the current administration "will be poised to dramatically expand community arrests and expand cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies," according to an analysis by the American Immigration Council, which advocates for immigrant rights. The Trump administration's border czar, Tom Homan, said without additional money, "it's going to be a hard road" to achieve the president's goal of deporting 1 million immigrants this year. "We have a lot of people to look for, a lot of people to arrest, a lot of national security threats we know are in this country," Homan said during a White House press conference June 26. "We need to find them. We need more money to do that. We need more agents to do that."
