Last week brought a devastating blow to the health care security of millions of Americans. The Trump Administration unveiled a plan for states to convert Medicaid into a block grant, opening the door for major cuts to services. 

The President’s proposal would put Medicaid recipients at risk of being pushed off of lifesaving medicines, impose unaffordable premiums and out-of-pocket costs and leave families exposed to catastrophic medical bills. These ruinous consequences will be felt most acutely by rural hospitals including several in our Capital Region, families seeking opioid addiction treatment for their loved ones, veterans and countless others.

I joined my colleagues in the House this week to condemn this proposal in the form of H. Res. 826.

Our Resolution of Disapproval affirms that:

• The illegal actions taken by the Trump Administration to undermine the Medicaid program, including beneficiary protections, are a cruel attack on a program that provides for the health and well-being for some of our most vulnerable citizens;
• The Trump Administration should immediately withdraw its illegal block grant guidance and cease its campaign to undermine and weaken Medicaid; and
• The Trump Administration should uphold its responsibility to faithfully execute the law, including the Medicaid Act and cease any and all efforts that threaten the care of the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid.
  

Medicaid exists to ensure millions of Americans, including many in our Capital Region, have access to the services they and their families need to stay healthy and, in some cases, stay alive.

The Trump Administration’s Medicaid block grant proposal is the latest in a series of attacks designed to strip Americans of their access to quality, affordable health care. In October 2019, I questioned Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, about short-term health plans supported by the Trump Administration. These junk plans often do not protect people with preexisting conditions or cover costly services such as hospital care.

Despite the Administration’s constant barrage on American’s health care, in 2015, then-candidate Trump promised that he would not make cuts to Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security, reaffirming that promise repeatedly throughout 2016.

This program has provided critical health care to those most in need for decades. Congress must work to ensure the health and safety of Americans is made a priority. That’s why my colleagues in the House remain committed to the fight for expanding and improving Americans’ access to health care.  In fact, last year we passed H.R. 3, The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which would empower Medicare to directly negotiate prices with drug companies and make these lower costs available to all insured Americans. That bill has been sitting on the desk of Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for months now.

I and many of my colleagues believe health care is a right, not a privilege. We will continue fighting as long as necessary to protect the health and well-being of Americans and ensure that health care remains accessible and affordable for all. The millions who depend on these services, and all who might need them in the future, deserve nothing less.