Protect Medicaid

Floor Speech

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Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to stand here today to support H. Res. 826, the protect Medicaid resolution. I am proud to go on record today to spotlight the administration's continuous attempts to take away healthcare for Americans, especially those most vulnerable, such as seniors and those with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, Medicaid was created in recognition of the importance of healthcare for all Americans. Even though many low-income people have jobs, working every single day, the reality is that they don't have access to employer or private health insurance, and Medicaid fills that gap.

It is such a sad reality that we need to remind this administration that the purpose of Medicaid is to provide healthcare for low-income individuals and families. Medicaid recognizes the humanity of everyone, despite their socioeconomic status.

When I was on the Budget Committee, I repeatedly voted against pernicious efforts to change the Federal- State Medicaid partnership through the per capita caps, onerous work requirements--I led a letter on that--State waivers to jettison core medical protections, repeal of the Affordable Care Act. It was just exhausting. And of course, the favorite tool in the toolkit was block grants. Block grants.

If you don't know what block grants are, just think, chopping block.

And why has Congress repeatedly not enacted these harmful proposals? Because block-granting Medicaid will only lead to gutting care for millions, including seniors and people with disabilities.

Block-granting Medicaid means setting caps on total funding and leaving the hard choices to governors and State legislators to decide which populations to serve and which ones to drop.

Seniors and persons with disabilities, those account for a good portion of Medicaid spending, and any attempts to cut costs, as a result of cap funding, will hit these groups the hardest.

Perhaps we should cut services to more healthy children to meet the needs of those in nursing homes. We literally pit the medical needy against the medical needy.

Healthcare providers whose Medicaid payments would be curtailed and cut so low that they may decide not to provide services, will make it harder for even those who are eligible for Medicaid to find those services.

And let me just remind you that Medicaid block grants are not responsive to recessions. Per capita cuts, block grants, and work requirements would undermine Medicaid's ability to help when the need is greatest, such as during an economic recession, as it was designed to do.

So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 826 to reject efforts to reduce access to quality and affordable healthcare for low-income patients, especially those with serious and chronic health conditions.

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