Poll: Americans Support Medicaid – Along With Many Other Medical Research & Service Programs
Over A Third Of All Alaskans Are On Medicaid THE BREAKDOWN: 2 Out Of 3 Alaskan Children, 1 In 3 Alaskan Adults, & 15% Of Alaskan Senio...

Over A Third Of All Alaskans Are On Medicaid
THE BREAKDOWN:
2 Out Of 3 Alaskan Children, 1 In 3 Alaskan Adults, & 15% Of Alaskan Seniors Are On Medicaid
(Photo, CDC) |
FROM THE ALASKA BEACON
Three-quarters of Americans oppose Medicaid cuts, poll shows
Senate GOP watching House action
Senate Republicans are closely watching how their House colleagues restructure federal funding for Medicaid, and will likely propose changes when the entire 11-bill package comes over from the House later this year.
Several GOP senators told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday they will judge the package based on how changes to Medicaid will impact their constituents.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he’s unlikely to support any changes to Medicaid that “will result in cutting benefits or denying eligibility for people who are otherwise working.”

“I’m all for work requirements,” he said. “I don’t think you get any Republican objection to that.”
But Hawley said going beyond that might be pressing the issue too far to get his vote.
“I just met with the governor of my state this morning. He’s in town. We just sat down and we talked about this issue,” Hawley said, adding that Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, was “very worried about” potential changes to federal Medicaid funding.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she’s planning to evaluate the House bill once it makes it through that chamber based on “the impact on low-income seniors who are dual eligible, families with children with disabilities, low-income families, our rural hospitals, healthcare providers.”
Dual eligibility refers to people who are on Medicare and Medicaid.
“I am open to carefully crafted work requirements for able-bodied adults who do not have preschool children,” Collins said. “But I have no idea what the package is going to contain at this point.”
Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said he’s told his chamber’s Republican leadership that “Medicaid is an important issue” for him in determining whether he votes for the entire package once it’s on the floor.
“I’m going to look at overall how it impacts citizens, particularly people with disabilities, and how it impacts my state and the hospitals that provide services to people in Kansas,” Moran said.
North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said “the challenge is going to be to find savings in line with what the president has described.”
“He said he doesn’t want any cuts to Medicaid,” Hoeven said. “But how do you make sure that you eliminate waste, fraud and abuse? And that the folks that should be getting it are getting it, rather than an able-bodied person who should be out there working and is able to do that and take care of themselves.”