U.S. House Republicans backing off some Medicaid cuts

WASHINGTON AP House Republicans appear to be backing off specific but not all of the steep reductions to the Medicaid activity as part of their big tax breaks bill as they run into resistance from more centrist GOP lawmakers opposed to ending nearly-free vitality care coverage for their constituents back home This is as a new analysis out Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that millions of Americans would lose Medicaid coverage under the various proposals being circulated by Republicans as cost-saving measures House Republicans are scrounging to come up with as much as trillion in cuts across federal ruling body healthcare food stamp and other programs to offset the revenue lost for certain trillion in tax breaks Under each of those options Medicaid enrollment would decrease and the number of people without medical insurance would increase the CBO analysis noted The findings touched off fresh uncertainty over House Speaker Mike Johnson s ability to pass what President Donald Trump calls his big beautiful bill by a self-made Memorial Day deadline Lawmakers are increasingly uneasy particularly amid growing economic anxiety over Trump s own policies including the agreement war that is sparking risks of higher prices empty shelves and job losses in communities nationwide Central to the package is the GOP priority of extending tax breaks first enacted in that are expiring later this year But they want to impose activity cuts elsewhere to help pay for them and limit the continued climb in the nation s debt and deficits Johnson has been huddling privately all week in the speaker s office at the Capitol with groups of Republicans particularly the more moderate GOP lawmakers in several of the majority contested seats in the nation who are warning off steep cuts that would slash through their districts Democrats who had requested the CBO statement pounced on the findings This non-partisan Congressional Budget Office analysis confirms what we ve been saying all along Republicans Medicaid proposals upshot in millions of people losing their wellness care reported Rep Frank Pallone D-N J who sought the review with Sen Ron Wyden D-Ore House Republican lawmakers exiting a meeting late Tuesday evening indicated that Johnson and the GOP leadership were walking away from selected of the most of debated Medicaid changes to the federal matching fund rates provided to the states Rep Jeff Van Drew R-N J stated those Medicaid changes are dead Republican Rep Nick LaLota of New York reminded that Trump himself has commented he would oppose Medicaid cuts Instead he disclosed the growing consensus within the Republican ranks is to focus the Medicaid cuts on other provisions Among the other ideas LaLota announced are imposing work requirements for those receiving Medicaid coverage requiring recipients to verify their eligibility twice a year instead of just once and ensuring no immigrants who are in the U S without legal standing are receiving aid But the more conservative Republicans including members of the House Freedom Caucus are insisting on steeper cuts as they fight to prevent skyrocketing deficits from the tax breaks Medicaid is a joint activity run by states and the federal leadership covering million adults Republicans are considering a menu of options to cut federal spending on the plan including reducing the share that the federal ruling body pays for enrollees soundness care in certain cases it is as much as They are also considering and setting a cap on how much the federal leadership spends on each person enrolled in Medicaid though that idea also appears to be losing help among lawmakers While those changes would bring in billions of dollars in cost savings they would also impact in roughly million people losing Medicaid coverage the CBO stated They appear to be off the table But other proposed Medicaid changes are still in the mix for Republicans including imposing new limits on a state s tax on physical condition care providers that generate larger payments from the federal cabinet That would bring in billions in savings but could also development in particular million people losing coverage the assessment announced The post U S House Republicans backing off various Medicaid cuts appeared first on MinnPost