Democrats Criticize Proposed Medicaid Cuts
The House Democratic Caucus on Wednesday wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt that if President Bush's proposed regulatory changes to Medicaid are implemented next year, they would result in "severe cuts" to the program, CQ HealthBeat reports.
The fiscal year 2007 budget would cut Medicaid expenditures by $30.4 over 10 years, with much of the funding responsibility shifting from the federal government to the states. These cuts follow reductions of $28 billion mandated by the Deficit Reduction Act this year.
The Democrats wrote, "The administration's regulatory changes would do nothing to lower those costs, but would instead place additional fiscal pressures on states to either cut back their Medicaid expenditures through such means as lowering eligibility limits, reducing the health benefits that are covered and/or programs, low-income families, people with disabilities, and seniors will be at risk" (Abruzzese, CQ HealthBeat, 7/26).