A protestor holds a sign at protect Medicaid lights up Capitol amid budget showdown this year in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Caring Across Generations)
"The Working Families Tax Cuts increased oversight efforts as part of a larger package of Medicaid program integrity measures to more precisely serve the traditional Medicaid and the Medicaid Expansion populations," said Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who serves as chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. "Progressive Democrats and their Congressional allies are desperate as they try to pan the Working Families Tax Cuts as devastating to the traditional Medicaid population, which is not true! The traditional Medicaid population, which includes expectant mothers, low-income seniors, children and individuals with disabilities, is not affected by our bill!"
Stricter eligibility requirements — which experts who support the GOP’s approach told Fox News would ensure Medicaid dollars go to those they were intended for — are among the Republican reforms that have drawn Democrats’ ire. Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program had more than 82 million enrollees in 2024, compared with 42.1 million in 2005.
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., listens during a House Rules Committee meeting on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
However, Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase argues these changes serve to "rightfully refocus" Medicaid, not ruin it.
"It requires able-bodied, working-age adults to work, go to school, or volunteer to receive benefits. It cracks down on corporate-welfare schemes that direct billions of dollars to wealthy, politically connected insurers and hospitals," Blase said. "And it reduces waste, fraud, and abuse that divert resources from those that truly need it."
Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said point-blank that "members of the traditional Medicaid population will not lose coverage due to this law," while slamming the "left-wing media" for perpetuating attacks on Republicans.
"Time and again, Republicans have fought for strengthening, sustaining, and securing the Medicaid program for our most vulnerable Americans — expectant mothers, children, low-income seniors, and individuals living with disabilities," Guthrie argued. "Republicans are enabling the Medicaid program to serve its intended purpose, and we will continue to fight for solutions that protect the program for generations to come."
REPUBLICANS DUB FETTERMAN ‘VOICE OF REASON’ AFTER HE ACCUSES HIS OWN PARTY OF ‘PLAYING CHICKEN’
Protester in Washington, D.C. holds sign speaking out against Republican reforms to the federal health insurance program. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Caring Across Generations)
Among the reforms Barkley praised were the implementation of the Helping Communities with Better Support (HCBS) Act, which she said "expands access to Medicaid home- and community-based services for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers," while simultaneously increasing transparency and accountability for those waiting for care.
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Barkley also highlighted new tax provisions ushered in by Republicans that she said will serve to promote financial security for those with disabilities.
But importantly, Barkley added, the GOP reforms — such as new work requirements — serve to ensure that disabled people are given the priority within Medicaid that they deserve.
Clancy, meanwhile, noted that he and the folks at Americans For Prosperity, a D.C. think-tank that promotes free-market solutions to problems, were big fans of the "Personal Option" that he says Republicans' Medicaid reforms advanced.
Clancy has described the "Personal Option" as "a set of sensible, principled reforms that make American health care better, more affordable, and more accessible for everyone — without a government takeover." He said the approach gives Medicaid enrollees more control over how their services are delivered rather than leaving those decisions to the government.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-health-experts-push-back-democrats-medicaid-scare-tactics