IFPTE Local 21’s Fight to Protect Medicaid from Cuts Gains Traction with Bipartisan Congressional Commitment
Earlier this week, 12 Republicans in the House of Representatives signed on to a letter to House Republican leadership and the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee warning against cuts to Medicaid in an upcoming Budget Reconciliation bill. Several of the signatures on the letter are the result of the commitment and efforts of IFPTE Local 21 and the Local’s work with other unions in their coalition.
The partisan Republican effort to craft and pass a Budget Reconciliation bill has tasked the House Energy and Commerce Committee with identifying $880 billion in budget cuts to programs under its jurisdiction, which includes Medicaid. According to a 50-page document circulated by House Republican leadership earlier this year, several significant cuts to Medicaid are being considered as an offset for extending tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and corporations. These cuts to Medicaid will hurt vulnerable Americans, cripple healthcare systems in our communities, and create a funding crisis across states and localities.
The proposed cuts to Medicaid, which provides health insurance to 80 million low-income Americans, including 38 million children and 13 million seniors and people with disabilities, will leave hospitals, clinics, and the health system without a key pillar of funding. Medicaid is even more critical for rural and small-town America, where many working people and their dependents do not have employer-sponsored healthcare.
For more information about some of the specific proposals and how they would impact state and local government budgets, working Americans, and vulnerable populations, read IFPTE’s issue brief, Support Robust and Responsible Federal Assistance for State and Local Government Programs and Services.