Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008

hmoroz — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:38:59 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Supports

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Number of jobs the State of California alone stands to lose as a result of lost federal Medicaid funding from the new regulations, according to Families USA: 46,700

Year when the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and Agriculture published a report concluding that schools were the best conduit for enrolling poor children in Medicaid: 2000

Date on which the Department of Health and Human Services acted to eliminate federal funds for outreach and enrollment of children in Medicaid through schools: 12/28/2007

Number of people – predominantly mentally ill individuals – who received psychiatric and other rehabilitation services under Medicaid in 2007: 1.46 million

Estimated amount of money the federal government would save in 2009 by ceasing to cover these services: $360 million

Approximate number of hours it takes to spend $360 million on the war in Iraq: 25

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle-Class Supports. More than 55 million Americans, predominantly low-income people and people with disabilities, rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. By halting dramatic restrictions in federal funding for Medicaid, this legislation not only ensures continued health care access for these aspiring middle-class beneficiaries but also prevents a devastating loss of funding to states, public hospitals, and local schools which are already struggling during the economic downturn. In reality, the Medicaid regulations imposed by the Bush Administration do little to reduce Medicaid costs – they simply transfer these costs from the federal government onto states, hospitals, and local governments. In an effort to cope with the added cost burden, services that benefit the middle class, from trauma care at hospitals to public education, are put at risk.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

“Medicaid: Overview and Impact of New Regulations”, from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured

“Administration’s Medicaid Regulations Will Weaken Coverage, Harm States, And Strain Health Care System”, by Allison Orris and Judith Solomon from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

Public health