by Christine Stuart | Mar 20, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a possible House vote this week on Republican’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, Connecticut’s Medicaid providers, advocates, and consumers are making a last-ditch effort to call for changes to the American Health Care Act.
The broad Connecticut coalition said the proposed changes to the Medicaid program under the GOP legislation will hurt Connecticut’s Medicaid enrollees and the economy.
“All of these proposals are designed to reduce federal support to state Medicaid programs, not to better serve Americans who rely on Medicaid,” the group wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. “Medicaid block grants and per capita caps would improve rigid limits on the amount of federal money available to states for Medicaid, endangering the health and well-being of Medicaid enrollees throughout our state. They also would severely damage Medicaid’s role as a cornerstone of our state economy.”
They pointed out that Connecticut’s Medicaid program has been a success.
Its administrative costs are only about 5 percent of total costs and on average Connecticut has achieved an almost 2 percent per person, per month reduction in costs over a four year period. That amounts to about $200 million in savings.