Ronald Reagan and his fellow Republicans once invoked what they referred to as “welfare queens” as they made the case for reining in social spending in the 1970s and 1980s, painting a picture of unscrupulous women bilking the system to finance a sumptuous lifestyle. Now as they try to justify cuts to Medicaid, congressional Republicans are focused on a different …
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The Three States That Are Especially Stuck if Congress Cuts Medicaid
If congressional Republicans go through with some of the deep Medicaid cuts they are considering, three states would be left in an especially tight bind. South Dakota, Missouri and Oklahoma have state constitutions requiring that they participate in Medicaid expansion, the part of Obamacare that expanded the health program for the poor to millions of adults. If Republicans choose to …
Read More »Trump Rejects Proposal for Medicare to Cover Wegovy and Other Obesity Drugs
The Trump administration on Friday rejected a Biden plan that would have required Medicare and Medicaid to cover obesity drugs and expanded access for millions of people. Under the law that established Medicare’s Part D drug benefits, the program was forbidden from paying for drugs for “weight loss.” The Biden administration’s proposal last November had attempted to sidestep that ban …
Read More »Senate Confirms Dr. Oz to Ovrsee Medicare and Medicaid
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity TV doctor, 53-45 and mostly along party lines to lead Medicare and Medicaid, which insure nearly half of all Americans. The future of both programs is the subject of fierce debate: Republicans are contemplating significant cuts to Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income Americans. The Trump administration and G.O.P. …
Read More »Justices Weigh Challenge to South Carolina’s Bid to Defund Planned Parenthood
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case arising from South Carolina’s attempt to deny funding to Planned Parenthood. But the question the justices grappled with was a relatively narrow one, focused on whether individuals may sue the state to obtain medical services from Planned Parenthood unrelated to abortion. In 2018, Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, a …
Read More »Dr. Oz ‘Disavows’ Support for Transgender Care, Allaying a Senator’s Concerns
Senator Josh Hawley, the Missouri Republican, said on Monday that he had decided to support the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid because Dr. Oz told him that he would no longer support transgender care for minors and was “unequivocally pro-life.” The Senate is expected to vote on Dr. Oz’s nomination to become administrator of the …
Read More »Senators Grill Dr. Oz on Medicaid Cuts and Medicare Changes
In a hearing on Friday, senators pressed Dr. Mehmet Oz, the TV celebrity nominated to head Medicare and Medicaid, on Republican-led proposals that would significantly affect the health care coverage for nearly half of all Americans. At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Dr. Oz bantered with senators in a friendly atmosphere, joking about basketball and allegiances to …
Read More »Dr. Oz Faces Senators at Confirmation Hearing to Oversee Medicare and Medicaid
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the TV celebrity doctor, is expected to face a tense confirmation hearing on Friday, with Democratic senators planning to question how he would oversee Medicare and Medicaid now that Republicans and the Trump administration are weighing significant changes affecting millions of Americans. Among the possible plans being considered by Republican lawmakers and President Trump are severe reductions …
Read More »Republican Voters Support Medicaid but Want Work Requirements, Poll Finds
As Congressional Republicans weigh major cuts to Medicaid, most voters do not want to see the public health plan’s funding dialed back, according to a poll released Friday by KFF, a nonpartisan health research firm. Just 17 percent of respondents said they supported cuts to Medicaid, the government health insurance program that covers more than 70 million people. Forty percent …
Read More »Slashing Medicaid to Pay for Trump’s Tax Cuts Could Lead to Vast State Shortfalls
House Republicans hunting for ways to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts have called for cutting the federal government’s share of Medicaid spending, including a proposal that would effectively gut the Affordable Care Act’s 2014 expansion of the program. Cutting Medicaid spending, which is central to the budget bill that House Republicans may bring to a vote on Tuesday, could …
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