Defending Medicaid:  A National Village

PPUF  has been part of a National Coalition to Fight the $8 Billion in Medicaid cuts in the Congressional Health Care bill since last January.  The bill would change Medicaid into a state block grant much like the Welfare Block grant in 1996.  By 2026 Medicaid would be swiftly disappearing as an entitlement program as Welfare has by now virtually disappeared.(See PPUF video, the danger of Block Grants) 

 Because cuts to Medicaid will hurt poor people. the elderly and disabled, PPUF has been attending frequent webinars with The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities CBPP to coordinate national strategy based on the proposed health care bill.  Protests have been organized around the country especially at town hall meetings.  

Since Massachusetts has a solid delegation of Democrats against the Repeal and Replace Bill, we have supported our Republican Governor Charlie Baker on his work in the National Governors Association against this bill.  

We have contacted Republican Governors and Senators in States that would lose the most in Medicaid coverage.  These states voted for Donald Trump.  Millions of Trump's voters would lose their Medicaid coverage.  

The strategy was to talk about that ALL states would be devastated by these catastrophic cuts.  It was a strategy that has so far kept congress from completing it's passage when it was expected to be finished in January.  There is one more possible chance of a vote in the Senate this week.  Whatever the outcome there are many back-up strategies to delay the bill until the August recess.