Medicaid keeps Nebraska communities and economies healthy. And right now, Congress is considering proposals that would make drastic cuts to Medicaid. We need you to join in and tell our Nebraska members of Congress that Nebraskans are clear: NO Cuts to Medicaid!
While members of Congress continue to discuss which proposals they will try to move forward, we must repeat what we know is true – Medicaid is efficient and effective. Medicaid increases diagnosis and treatment of chronic conditions, improves educational achievement and future earnings for children, and provides comprehensive care while costing less per enrollee than private insurance. Medicaid addresses disparities and is an important source of health coverage for rural communities and communities of color. Medicaid supports Nebraska’s state and local economies, health care providers, hospitals and systems.
Cuts to Medicaid will harm Nebraskans, health care providers, our communities, and Nebraska economies. Cuts to Medicaid will take health care away and increase costs for Nebraskans. All of the following proposals are effectively cuts to Medicaid, and each would create more harms than any potential benefits:
- Work requirements don’t work. Implementing work requirements would drastically increase state spending. Most Medicaid enrollees are already working or would be exempt from most versions of work requirements because they are attending school, have disabilities, or are caregiving. States that have implemented work requirements find that enrollees who meet requirements or are exempt get caught up in red tape and are improperly disenrolled. Implementing work requirements would result in 600,000 more uninsured Americans. These requirements are ineffective and do not increase workforce participation.
- Reducing the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for any category – including Medicaid expansion – will harm Nebraskans. As of November 2024, 66,881 Nebraskans rely on Medicaid expansion to access health care. A reduced federal match for Medicaid expansion or any other category would strap states with huge added costs. If a reduced match forced states to discontinue Medicaid expansion, ripple effects would even harm children, older adults, and people with disabilities enrolled in other categories. Any rise in uninsured rates will increase uncompensated care, hurting health care providers and state and local budgets.
- Federal caps or block grants exacerbate inequities, particularly for rural communities, people with disabilities, and communities of color. Caps and block grants will force states to make cuts to coverage, and leave them unable to adapt to any potential future recession, pandemic, new drug or technology, or growth in health care costs. All of the radical cuts forced by caps or block grants would hurt enrollees, especially children, older adults, persons with disabilities, and pregnant people.
- Any other cuts to Medicaid will negatively impact Nebraskans.
Right now Congress is considering proposals that would slash healthcare and other vital public services – all so they can fund trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and large corporations. Now is the time to tell our Nebraska members of Congress that they must protect our health care!
Learn more and call today! Follow the links below to find sample suggested talking points: