On Sunday night, House Republicans released a key part of their budget bill that shows cuts and changes to Medicaid. Those cuts mean seniors who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care could lose their funding, The Washington Post reported in interviews with seniors.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have indicated a resistance to making such drastic changes. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called the cuts "politically suicidal."
In a New York Times op-ed Monday, Sen. Hawley wrote, “A noisy contingent of corporatist Republicans — call it the party’s Wall Street wing — is urging Congress to ignore all that and get back to the old-time religion: corporate giveaways, preferences for capital and deep cuts to social insurance."
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"This wing of the party wants Republicans to build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal," he added.
Democrats published a letter from the Congressional Budget Office showing $715 billion in cuts, NBC News reported Monday. It would also “reduce the number of people with health insurance by at least 8.6 million in 2034.”
The Washington Post said in a report that those relying on nursing home care or disability care desperately need Medicaid to live.
It spoke to Nadine Johnson, who operates several personal-care homes in Georgia that allow seniors to live in a home that is smaller and more "family-style" than a nursing home.
The Post described the houses as "almost indistinguishable from other homes in a subdivision."
Johnson told the Post that most residents receive about $1,000 in Social Security benefits and can live in shared rooms "with a minimum rate of $2,000 a month." Medicaid pays for the difference between the Social Security income and the rest of the costs. They can then keep a small amount of money to spend.
“You’re basically helping this person remain in the community and live with dignity,” Johnson told the Post about her work.
Johnson recalled a conversation she had with the daughter of a recently deceased patient who was on Medicaid and living in one of the homes. The daughter confessed she was relieved she didn't have to worry about the cuts anymore since her mother had passed.
“Like, what? That is inhumane,” Johnson said. “They still passed the vote. Nobody listened.”
“It would be bad news if it got cut,” said 80-year-old former emergency medicine technician Grace O’Neal, who has lived in one of Johnson's homes for years.
“How would they take care of us?" O'Neal asked.
