June 22, 2017      6:06 PM
Cruz holds out on health plan as Cornyn defends process; advocates in Texas unimpressed
Medicaid advocates back home pan the plan while TPPF is also unhappy with it
The Senate
version of a health care plan, unveiled today, appears to have squeezed the
cost out of Obamacare and put more control of Medicaid and health
insurance in the hands of states.
Such a
choice may win accolades from some Texas lawmakers, who have long lobbied they
could do more, and better, with block grants, but it is not well received by
those guarding Medicaid. People like Anne Dunkelberg of the Center
for Public Policy Priorities call Medicaid a lifeline to affordable
health care coverage rather than a welfare program that needs to be constrained
by work requirements, drug testing and time limits, as noted in this recent
survey.
So, it
won’t be surprising that Dunkelberg and her allies are opposed to the Senate’s
plan to repeal and replace Obamacare: ending Medicaid expansion; minimizing
insurance benefit plans; and capping the amount of money Medicaid spends on
each Medicaid enrollee. Dunkelberg sees a plan that cuts deeper and hits harder
than the US House’s proposed plan.
By Kimberly Reeves
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