STAT+: Republicans are running out of ways to cut Medicaid as moderates and hard-liners clash
Republicans have a narrow path to pass their tax cut bill, and some are looking at limiting eligibility for Medicaid.
Some Republicans lawmakers are reopening the door to look for savings in Medicaid beyond waste, fraud, and abuse — but they’re hitting roadblocks.
With a looming deadline from President Trump to find hundreds of billions of dollars in savings to fund tax cut extensions, some lawmakers are hinting at a potentially fraught approach to reducing Medicaid spending: rethinking who should be eligible in the first place. They say the program has grown to encompass coverage beyond its original intent and are taking aim at the inclusion of healthy adults with lower incomes in the program.
“Medicaid is for the most vulnerable in our society. It was intended for the aged, the blind, disabled, for mothers, for children,” said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is tasked with finding savings in Medicaid. “We need to make sure that it stays that focused.”
