With Donald Trump’s election, Republicans in Congress will have
the opportunity to overhaul Medicaid, something they’ve wanted to do for years.
The program provides health care to millions of lower-income and disabled
Americans. Currently, the federal government pays a certain percentage of each
state’s Medicaid costs.
Republicans say states have little incentive to keep expenses down because no
state pays more than half the total cost. They prefer sending a fixed amount of
money each year to the states in the form of block grants, a move Republicans
say would rein in spending.
Democrats have warned of dire consequences. Advocacy groups say reducing
federal spending on Medicaid will place more of the financial burden on states
and result in cuts, such as Medicaid covering fewer procedures or medications.
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