Opinion: Will Congress’ Medicaid reforms really kill people?
In the debate over Medicaid reform, one dubious claim keeps getting tossed around. But the evidence for it is weak.
As part of the GOP’s megabill ambitions, Congress may be on the cusp of making the most substantial changes to Medicaid in decades. Lawmakers are considering a raft of proposals — including work requirements for non-elderly, able-bodied adults; more frequent eligibility checks for certain enrollees; and crackdowns on state financing gimmicks — designed to rein in federal Medicaid cost growth and refocus the program on the most vulnerable populations. Debating the pros and cons of these proposals is critical, but one dubious claim keeps getting tossed around: reforming Medicaid will kill people.
In April, the Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive think tank, published an analysis claiming that reductions in federal funding for the ACA’s Medicaid expansion could lead to “roughly” 34,200 deaths each year.
