MADISON, Wis. — A new article from Heartland Signal on Tuesday highlighted the crisis Wisconsinites could face if the Trump Administration and Republicans make devastating cuts to Medicaid. Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites could lose their health care coverage, putting vulnerable individuals at risk.
Wisconsin Republicans like Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden have tried to save face by claiming that Wisconsinites’ Medicaid benefits “will not be cut by a nickel.” Yet, the budget blueprint they voted for—calling for $2 trillion in cuts, including as much as $880 billion from Medicaid—makes it impossible for Medicaid to go untouched. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden say they care for their constituents, but their actions say otherwise, leaving Wisconsinites to face the brunt of their ignorance.
Heartland Signal: How Medicaid Cuts Will Impact Heartland States
By: Richard Eberwein
Millions of people in Heartland States are projected to lose jobs, health care coverage, financial security and access to prescription drugs and treatment options when President Donald Trump is expected to sign Medicaid cuts into law.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are set to implement major spending cuts to Medicaid in an effort to extend Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires. Trump is expected to sign the cuts into law before July 4. A recent partial analysis by House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats of a Congressional Budget Office report showed that 8.6 million Americans would lose their health insurance under these cuts.
Medicaid is a government program first implemented during President Lyndon Johnson’s administration in 1965. The program provides health insurance to more than 71 million low-income families and children in America. In February, despite several lawmakers promising to vote against any bill that would harm benefits programs like Medicaid, nearly all GOP members of Congress passed a budget resolution that proposes $880 billion in cuts from the Standing Committee for Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid funding.
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After voting for the budget resolution calling for Medicaid cuts, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) accused the media of fearmongering about the program and that people the focus should be lifting people out of poverty. U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) gave a similar sentiment; he claimed that no American citizens would see their benefits cut and that waste, fraud and abuse are the only things on the chopping block.
However, Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna claims that federal cuts would weaken the Wisconsin program’s ability to identify fraud as the state already has a robust verification process, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
A report from Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) suggested that adults without dependent children would be most at risk of losing coverage in Wisconsin, especially if Congress implements a proposed work requirement for Medicaid recipients.
The state legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, could offset the impact by dedicating more state dollars to the program. But the Wisconsin GOP has repeatedly refused to dedicate more money to benefits programs, and thousands of people in the state would still likely lose coverage even if the state legislature helped.
