Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation railed against the budget blueprint that passed the House on Tuesday night, warning it could result in steep cuts to Medicaid.
But an Altoona Republican who serves on a committee tasked with coming up with $880 billion in savings over the next decade says he will work to protect what he calls the core mission of the health care program for low-income people and those with disabilities.
“I have heard the concerns of many of my constituents about the Medicaid program,” said U.S. Rep. John Joyce, R-Altoona, who serves as vice chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
About 166,000 people in Joyce’s sprawling congressional district are on Medicaid, according to state Department of Human Services data. That amounts to nearly 22% of his constituents. Nationwide, nearly 80 million people receive their health care through Medicaid.
“I remain committed to supporting Medicaid’s core mission of providing access and care to low-income children, pregnant women and individuals with disabilities, and I will work to protect this core mission throughout the budget resolution process,” Joyce said.
The budget resolution passed Tuesday night directed the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid spending among other things, to come up with at least $880 billion in savings over the next decade as part of larger budget plan that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts.
“The budget resolution … contains no changes to policy, but rather acts as the first step toward unlocking President Trump’s agenda by listing top-line spending numbers for the upcoming budget reconciliation process,” Joyce said in a statement.
Joyce did not provide specifics on ways the Energy and Commerce Committee would attempt to meet its $880 billion goal.
Republican leaders have insisted there will be no direct cuts to people who receive health care through Medicaid and that they only will target waste, fraud and abuse to make the government-run program more efficient.
Some Republicans have talked about imposing work requirements or removing able-bodied men from Medicaid. Doing that would save a small portion of what’s needed, some $100 billion over the decade.
For bigger savings, Republicans are considering altering the way the federal government provides Medicaid money to states.
Some 40 states expanded their Medicaid programs with the Affordable Care Act, when Obamacare provided money to enroll people in the program.
The resolution also directed the Agriculture Committee to come up with $230 billion in savings. One likely place it will turn is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre County, who chairs the Agriculture Committee, said food stamps won’t be cut.
After the budget resolution passed Tuesday night, U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, and Mike Kelly, R-Butler, released statements lauding it.
Neither addressed potential cuts to Medicaid in their statements or responded to questions Wednesday about potential cuts. About 179,000 of Reschenthaler’s constituents are on Medicaid, compared to about 178,000 of Kelly’s, according to the Department of Human Services data.
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, whose district includes much of Allegheny County and portions of western Westmoreland County, railed against the budget resolution.
“This budget is a betrayal, plain and simple. It tells folks that their health, their futures and their families’ well-being matter less than another tax break for the rich,” Lee said in a statement. “For Western Pennsylvania, that means tens of thousands of people could lose access to life-saving resources. It’s not just numbers on a page. It’s families choosing between groceries and medical bills. It’s newborns not getting the care they need. It’s hospitals closing their doors, especially in rural areas.”
More than 170,000 people in Lee’s congressional district are on Medicaid, according to the Department of Human Services.
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, called the budget resolution a “fiscally reckless grift that will pillage our government and plunder people’s health care to enrich huge corporations and the ultra rich.”
About 121,000 people are on Medicaid in Deluzio’s congressional district, which includes part of Allegheny County and all of Beaver County, according to the Department of Human Services data.