Cardiology groups among the many voices asking Congress not to cut Medicaid
The American College of Cardiology, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America and Society of Thoracic Surgeons are just some of the medical groups urging Congress not to make sweeping Medicaid cuts that could result in approximately 7.6 million Americans losing health insurance.
Republicans in Congress have said these cuts are designed to reduce fraud and improve the enrollment process. Democrats, meanwhile, have promised to fight the Medicaid cuts—as well as other parts of the Republican bill.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would not cut Medicaid. He has shown support for this new bill being developed by Congress, however, and Congress seems to be crafting the bill with his agenda specifically in mind.
More than 40 U.S. healthcare organizations signed a new joint letter highlighting the potential damage these Medicaid cuts could do to patient care. The groups warned that millions of Americans would lose coverage if these cuts went into effect. In addition, they added, Medicaid would become more complex from an administrative perspective and shift more costs to the individual states.
“These proposals would cut off the access needed to care for our patients,” the groups wrote. “Changes of the magnitude being proposed, combined with Medicare physician payment rates that have not kept pace with inflation, would result in loss of coverage and risk exacerbating hospital and practice closures, particularly in rural areas, putting lifesaving and routine care out of reach for millions of our patients. As organizations that represent our nation’s physicians, we see firsthand how Medicaid coverage improves health outcomes and saves lives. We urge Congress to maintain coverage to assure health care access for our patients and reject the proposed changes to the program.”
The groups closed by emphasizing that they are ready to discuss this topic and work with Congress to identify more sustainable ways to improve Medicaid.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.