Wisconsin Republicans Vote to Cut Health and Food Supports to Support Tax Breaks for the Wealthiest 1%

This morning, the U.S. House rubber stamped one of our country’s largest transfers of wealth to the extremely wealthy.

The reckless plan, rushed through the House of Representatives in the early morning hours, would be the largest cut to Medicaid in its sixty year history. The Congressional Budget Office’s updated estimates that the bill would cut $790 B in Medicaid funding with 8 Million people projected to lose Medicaid coverage.

“They’re not even trying to pretend they care about everyday people. This will decimate the rural health systems that are already hanging on by a thread. Without Medicaid funding, health care systems will crumble. This will hurt everyone, not just those on Medicaid, all in the name of more tax cuts for the wealthiest 1%. The US Senate needs to step up for kids and throw away this bill. It’s not okay to make everyday Wisconsin families pay the high price of tax cuts for the wealthiest among us,” shared Michele Mackey, Kids Forward CEO.

The coverage loss estimates from the CBO will likely increase. Last night the bill was amended to speed up when the Medicaid job loss penalty or “prove you’re working” requirements would go into effect This will result in people losing Medicaid coverage more quickly, and in turn reduce Federal Medicaid spending.

“Moderate Republicans, including some Representatives in our state, said that they wouldn’t vote for a bill that cuts Medicaid benefits for those who need it most, but that’s just what they did. They’re using red tape to cut Medicaid,” said William Parke-Sutherland, Government Affairs Director for Kids Forward. “The scale of these cuts means that thousands of Wisconsin kids and families are at risk of losing their health care coverage. This would create more unmet needs, deeper health disparities, and higher uncompensated care costs for health care providers.”

These harmful cuts to Medicaid would add new costs for Wisconsin and disproportionately impact rural providers and communities, including the one in three children in rural counties who are insured through Medicaid. It would place states in a deeply harmful dilemma: cut eligibility, eliminate health care benefits, or slash reimbursement rates for healthcare providers. Faced with increases in uncompensated care and reductions in provider rates, health care systems would be forced to choose between layoffs, closing rural hospitals, cutting a wide range of services, and charging all patients higher rates.

Wisconsin’s Medicaid programs supports 1.2 million Wisconsinites who rely on Medicaid for physical health, mental health, prenatal, and long term care, including:

• 4 in 10 births in Wisconsin
• 1 in 3 Wisconsin children
• 1 in 3 Wisconsin residents with disabilities
• 1 in 6 Medicare beneficiaries in Wisconsin
• 4 in 7 Wisconsin nursing home residents

The Reconciliation bill also includes $300 B in cuts (almost 30%) of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or FoodShare in Wisconsin. These cuts would take away food support for more than 700 thousand Wisconsin residents and cause 4,400 retailers to lose crucial revenue.

Two-thirds of the people who use SNAP/Foodshare in Wisconsin are also Medicaid participants.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.