New CBO estimate finds that Republicans’ proposals to slash Medicaid programs would lead to millions of Americans losing health care coverage
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) new estimate for how the proposed Republican budget to gut Medicaid would lead to millions of Americans losing health care.
“A new CBO report shows the Republicans’ plans to gut Medicaid would leave millions of Americans without health insurance.
Why would they do this? They need to pay for their tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy somehow. It’s plain cruel, and we’re fighting it every step of the way.”
Nearly 80 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) nationally. Medicaid covers nursing home bills for over 60% of all nursing home residents.
The Republican budget proposal calls for extreme Medicaid cuts of up to $880 billion, which would take away people’s health benefits; make it harder for them to see their health care providers; and prevent seniors from getting nursing home care. Hickenlooper voted against the Republican budget resolution on the Senate floor and offered amendments to prevent cuts to Medicaid.
Specifically, CBO estimated that the Republican proposal to reduce the federal Medicaid cost-sharing for eligible people under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would lead to 2.4 million people losing health insurance.
CBO also found that the Republican proposal to repeal Medicaid’s eligibility and enrollment rules – which help low-income Medicare beneficiaries pay their premiums and also simplify enrollment processes for Medicaid and CHIP – would result in 2.3 million people losing Medicaid coverage.
CBO is a nonpartisan entity that offers impartial analysis on the costs and impacts of proposed legislation to Congress.
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