[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 25 (Thursday, February 6, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H853-H854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PROTECT MEDICAID

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to stand here today to support 
H. Res. 826, the protect Medicaid resolution. I am proud to go on 
record today to spotlight the administration's continuous attempts to 
take away healthcare for Americans, especially those most vulnerable, 
such as seniors and those with disabilities.
  Mr. Speaker, Medicaid was created in recognition of the importance of 
healthcare for all Americans. Even though many low-income people have 
jobs, working every single day, the reality is that they don't have 
access to employer or private health insurance, and Medicaid fills that 
gap.
  It is such a sad reality that we need to remind this administration 
that the purpose of Medicaid is to provide healthcare for low-income 
individuals and families. Medicaid recognizes the humanity of everyone, 
despite their socioeconomic status.
  When I was on the Budget Committee, I repeatedly voted against 
pernicious efforts to change the Federal-

[[Page H854]]

State Medicaid partnership through the per capita caps, onerous work 
requirements--I led a letter on that--State waivers to jettison core 
medical protections, repeal of the Affordable Care Act. It was just 
exhausting. And of course, the favorite tool in the toolkit was block 
grants. Block grants.
  If you don't know what block grants are, just think, chopping block.
  And why has Congress repeatedly not enacted these harmful proposals? 
Because block-granting Medicaid will only lead to gutting care for 
millions, including seniors and people with disabilities.
  Block-granting Medicaid means setting caps on total funding and 
leaving the hard choices to governors and State legislators to decide 
which populations to serve and which ones to drop.
  Seniors and persons with disabilities, those account for a good 
portion of Medicaid spending, and any attempts to cut costs, as a 
result of cap funding, will hit these groups the hardest.
  Perhaps we should cut services to more healthy children to meet the 
needs of those in nursing homes. We literally pit the medical needy 
against the medical needy.
  Healthcare providers whose Medicaid payments would be curtailed and 
cut so low that they may decide not to provide services, will make it 
harder for even those who are eligible for Medicaid to find those 
services.
  And let me just remind you that Medicaid block grants are not 
responsive to recessions. Per capita cuts, block grants, and work 
requirements would undermine Medicaid's ability to help when the need 
is greatest, such as during an economic recession, as it was designed 
to do.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 826 to 
reject efforts to reduce access to quality and affordable healthcare 
for low-income patients, especially those with serious and chronic 
health conditions.

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