When the Congress Republicans in 2017 pushed the Act respecting affordable care and Slash Medicaid, dozens of groups of doctors, patient defenders, hospitals and others have rallied to defend the law and the safety nose program.
Eight years later, two industrial groups were notably selected while the GOP legislators plan to sweep the new Medicaid cups: the American Medical Association and the American Health Care Associationwhich represents nursing homes.
At the same time, the two groups put pressure on the Republicans, seeking support on other priorities.
The AMA puts pressure on legislators to reverse a reduction of almost 3% of medicine fees for doctors. And the AHCA prompted the Congress to reduce the regulations adopted by President Joe Biden who force better endowment ratios in nursing homes.
The representatives of the two groups refused to comment on the file on the links between the Medicaid fight and their other legislative priorities.
But the AHCA spokesperson Rachel Reeves said that the group of nursing homes, who published a declaration defending Medicaid, communicated with legislators’ importance of the program for low-income and disability. “We will make sure that the voices of our community are heard and that the message is strong and clear: Congress must protect our elderly people who count on Medicaid,” she said. Medicaid is the main payer for nursing home care, covering Over 6 out of 10 residents of the nursing home.
However, other defenders and Democrats of the Congress said they were frustrated by the two groups. “Time to express themselves is now,” Senator Ron Wyden, senior democrat of the Senatoric Finance Committee, told KFF Health News. “Americans will know which organizations have clashed against cups harmful to Medicaid when this fight is finished.”
Medicaid, a state federal insurance scheme which, with the related children’s health insurance program, covers around 80 million Americans, is in the reticle While the Republicans of Congress are looking to reduce several dollars of federal expenditure to compensate for the cost of $ 4.5 billions of the tax reduction effort promulgated during the first term of President Donald Trump.
Medicaid cuts to the envisaged scale would put the coverage of millions of Americans in danger. This has alarmed defenders who work with people covered by the program, including children, disabled Americans and low -income elderly. Other plea organizations working with these patients have been much more active.
Last week, more than 400 pediatricians went to Washington, DC, to speak to members of the Congress of the importance of Medicaid. More than 100 safety security managers who serve low -income patients across the country have done the same.
Patient defenders such as American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network defended Medicaid. Last month, state medical companies sent a letter to the leaders of the congress warning disastrous consequences if the Medicaid cuts are promulgated. And this week, more than 750 members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are expected in Washington, where the group says they will lobby to preserve the funding of Medicaid.
“Cutting hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding will force states to reduce care and families that depend or increase taxes on the Americans who work hard,” said Chip Kahn, Managing Director of the Federation of American Hospitals, another commercial group fighting to defend Medicaid.
The construction of coalitions was essential in previous health care debates, said Ron Pollack, the former head of the USA family patient. Pollack helped direct pressure for the 2010 affordable care law. “We have succeeded in the past because we have stayed together,” he said.
Eight years ago, AMA and AHCA were essential Coalition members This has returned republican efforts to repeal the affordable care law, often called Obamacare.
AMA, the largest group of country doctors, Sent several letters At the congress throughout 2017, warning the legislators in a letter of March 17, 2017 that they should “keep up to your mind the potentially impacting the life that your decisions will have on millions of Americans”.
And the president of the Ahca was an opposing first voice, which at one point He called “The biggest threat to which the sector has faced for at least 20 to 25 years.”
This year, the AMA did not send a single letter or published a press releases opposing the Medicaid cuts. On the other hand, the group issued Seven press releases Since January on the lack of action of the Congress on the costs of doctor.
AHCA published its first public defense of Medicaid in this year’s debate – a document he called information sheet – Only the day after the Republicans of the Chamber adopted a budgetary resolution which threatens the financing of the program. When the group published its 2025 political priorities Last week, the “priority # 1” focused on the staffing of staff, in particular the repeal of the endowment mandate of the Biden era. “MEDICAID protection” was “priority n ° 2”.
The Medicaid debate will probably continue for months while the leaders of the GOP in the House and the Senate will try to break a bill to extend the tax reductions.
Medicaid defenders say they are always looking for more votes to speak.
“The Republicans have said that silence is consent,” said Wyden. “If health care organizations do not denounce the GOP’s plans to reduce health care, republican legislators will assume that these organizations are in their program.”
