ROCKEFELLER CALLS ATTENTION TO EFFECTS OF MEDICAID CUTS

Washington, D.C. – During a Senate forum on the administration’s proposed $15 billion in Medicaid cuts, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said that the focus should be on letting people know what these cuts will mean for Medicaid beneficiaries, state budgets, and state health care systems.  Rockefeller, who chairs the Senate Democratic Working Group on Medicaid, was a leader in last month’s successful Senate fight to reverse the cuts, but the House Republican leadership has refused to restore any of these cuts.

“I hope that, through this forum, more people will understand the significant impact Medicaid cuts will have on meeting the health care needs of Medicaid beneficiaries,” said Rockefeller, Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care.  “Too often during this budget debate, the claim has been made that $15 billion in Medicaid cuts is marginal, minor, and not a big deal.  This simply is not the case.

“The cuts could mean the difference between a pregnant woman having access to prenatal exams through Medicaid or having to go to the local emergency room to receive care. They could mean the difference between a disabled person avoiding the tough decision of whether the pay for prescription drugs or housing each month.”

Senator Rockefeller, a former two-term Governor of West Virginia, also noted that proponents of the cuts overlook the devastating consequences the cuts will have for state governments and state health care systems.  Under current law, twenty-nine states, including West Virginia, will experience a drop in their Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) next year.  For West Virginia, this change translates into a loss of $36 million in federal Medicaid matching funds.  The $15 billion in cuts proposed by the administration would be on top of this FMAP reduction.

“As a former Governor, I know about state budgets,” said Rockefeller.  “And I can tell you that states cannot afford to absorb the Medicaid cuts being proposed by this administration.  The health care infrastructure of our states cannot afford these cuts.  Through its support of hospitals, doctors, community health centers, and nursing homes in every state throughout the country, Medicaid is the economic foundation of our health care infrastructure.

“The bottom line is that we must get the word out to all legislators of both parties and both houses, as well as the American people, that these cuts will be horrific.  Our success in restoring these cuts will depend on how well we can educate them.”

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