Dear Health Advocates,
As you may have seen, the House Budget Committee advanced their budget last week, which instructs at least $880 billion in savings, necessitating large Medicaid cuts (see Energy & Commerce, p. 25).
A floor vote is expected next week, though this depends on leadership's confidence that it would succeed on the floor. House members are in-district this week through Monday, February 24; this is a prime opportunity for pressure and continued advocacy!
Our health advocacy community is successfully making clear that Medicaid cuts will have harmful impacts on state budgets and beneficiaries. The in-district window we are in now is critical to keeping that drumbeat alive and raising the alarm for more Representatives. Several moderate Republicans have publicly expressed concerns about gutting safety net programs (examples below). Our efforts this week will help ensure that their concerns remain top of mind and even more House members are public in their opposition to the budget resolution and the Medicaid cuts within it.
“If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it...” - Rep. Bresnahan (R-PA) on X.
“I think that there are enough of us who are concerned about the arbitrary number that was thrown out there for Medicaid, that the resolution may not pass the floor.” - Rep. Malliotakis (R-NY) in The Hill.
“I know a bunch of people are whipping undecided because they want to let leadership know that if these cuts hurt people they aren’t doing them ... I think there’s a lot of people in pretty conservative districts that this has a really negative impact on their districts and their states.”- Rep. Valadao (R-CA) in The Hill..
Consumers First Legislative Agenda
In addition, Consumers First, a national alliance representing families, working people, large and small businesses, and primary care clinicians, released its legislative agenda last week. The agenda highlights opportunities to move to a more sustainable health system that will ensure all Americans have access to high-quality, low-cost care. As deep cuts to the Medicaid program are on the table, these legislative recommendations (broken out into 5 focus areas) outline a number of alternative, pro-consumer reforms that lower costs. View the new legislative agenda here.
You can find more on all of this below, along with this week’s new opportunities and resources:
