STAT+: Republicans’ new Medicaid arguments: They’re only cutting waste, fraud, and abuse
A conservative group's study claims there's a high level of improper payments in Medicaid, amid efforts to cut spending.
Republicans are considering a new approach as they seek to find politically palatable ways of cutting potentially hundreds of billions in Medicaid spending to help offset the cost of tax cuts.
They’re arguing that any reductions in Medicaid outlays will come from reining in waste, fraud, and abuse, and won’t compromise care for the millions of children, low-income adults, and people with disabilities who rely on the program. President Trump, for instance, vowed during a press conference that Republicans would not cut Medicaid, but he distinguished between going after fraud and reducing program spending.
“We’re not going to touch it,” Trump said of Medicaid. “Now, we are going to look for fraud.”
