Nebraskans care about their health and the health of their family, and Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act play a big role in ensuring that over 475,000 Nebraskans can access health care. But Congress is considering slashing Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace coverage to give tax breaks to billionaires.
The current proposed cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid will result in nearly $14 million people losing their health care, cause rising health care costs for us all, and will have devastating consequences on Nebraska’s economy, providers, and budget. In Nebraska, the proposed cuts to Medicaid are expected to cause up to a 16% decrease in enrollment, causing tens of thousands of Nebraskans to lose coverage. To offset the entire amount of the proposed federal Medicaid cuts, Nebraska would need to increase taxes by 4%. These cuts include things like:
- A coercive policy that requires Nebraska to stop providing Medicaid coverage to lawfully residing pregnant women and children to receive the 90% federal match that funds Nebraska’s voter approved Medicaid expansion.
- Attacks on Nebraska’s voter approved Medicaid expansion group like imposing unnecessary work requirements, copays, and increasing paperwork, which will result in coverage losses and are unnecessary and counterproductive. 92% of people enrolled in Medicaid would meet these requirements or an exception to them, and work requirements do not actually increase work. And attacking Medicaid expansion coverage hurts children – Medicaid expansion coverage is associated with improved child health outcomes, coverage, and utilization.
- Taking away two-thirds of the retroactive Medicaid coverage available to enrollees: Limitations on retroactive coverage will hurt eligible children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and families.
- Slashing the Affordable Care Act Marketplace: Over 135,000 Nebraskans rely on the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace to access care, and nearly all receive advanced premium tax credits to make their coverage affordable. Limitations and cuts to Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace coverage hurt Nebraskans, including many children.
- Attacks on provider taxes: Nebraska has just passed a provider tax measure, which is absolutely critical to the sustainability of Nebraska’s budget. Nebraska needs provider taxes to remain an available tool.
The budget reconciliation package also includes deep & cruel cuts to food access and other basic-needs programs, as well as sweeping funding for family separations. All of these proposed cuts will cause tens of thousands of Nebraskans to lose health care coverage, health care costs to rise for everyone, and have devastating impacts on our providers, economy, workforce, families, and state budget just to give tax cuts to billionaires.
Contact your representative today to tell them NO CUTS to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act!