Florida seniors could lose access to healthcare if Congress moves ahead with Medicaid cuts | Opinion

Congress is treating the Medicaid budget like a line item on a balance sheet instead of what it really is — cuts to senior citizen healthcare.

Earlier this week, after over 24 hours of debate, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a reconciliation bill. Based on the draft proposal released by the Congressional Budget Office, initial estimates show that federal spending on Medicaid would be slashed by $625 billion over 10 years.

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who sits on the committee, released a statement outlining the bleak reality if the bill passes. “In no uncertain terms, millions of Americans will lose their healthcare coverage, hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes.”

Under the proposed budget cuts, Florida is likely to see a $4 billion reduction in Medicaid. In Miami-Dade County, 58% of seniors are on Medicaid. In fact, Miami-Dade has the highest percentage of seniors covered by Medicaid in the entire state of Florida.

Holly Bullard, chief strategy and development officer for Florida Policy Institute, told the Miami Herald Editorial Board, “Miami-Dade is the tip of the spear for Medicaid in Florida, especially when it comes to seniors.”

For Florida seniors, medicaid pays for in-home care, nursing homes and other services. Without it, seniors would lose access to these services and more, leaving them stranded and without assistance.

In Florida, nursing-home care is primarily paid for by Medicaid, and for two-thirds of nursing home residents, it’s the only way they can afford help with daily tasks many of us take for granted such as, bathing and dressing.

Cutting Medicaid is not only harmful, it’s borderline inhumane.

Seniors who suffer from dementia, those who rely on weekly visits from a home health aide or need life saving medication would be among those suffering the most, along with other vulnerable groups. Elderly patients could lose access to doctors, lose out on necessary medication and help with tasks such as personal hygiene.

Under the current proposal, if Medicaid is cut, the question becomes who will help Florida seniors? Where will the money come from?

Not every lawmaker is on board with the proposed cuts. In fact, some Republicans are pushing back. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, is among them: “I continue to maintain my position we should not be cutting Medicaid benefits.”

While Congress considers slashing Medicaid, the impact would be felt beyond Florida seniors. Nursing homes and other healthcare facilities could be forced to lay off staff or shut down.

And the cuts would also likely harm the job market. A recent analysis by the Commonwealth Fund estimates that Florida could lose about 17,000 jobs in the healthcare sector.

Florida would experience an economic loss of $3 billion to its gross domestic product as well as a loss of $177 million in state and local tax revenue, the Commonwealth Fund estimated.

The cuts would force Florida lawmakers to make some tough decisions, especially since Florida remains one of 10 states that has not adopted Medicaid expansion, a provision of the Affordable Care Act.

Hospitals and nursing homes could be heavily impacted since they rely heavily on funding from Medicaid. “The bill is bad for funding because it limits the use of provider taxes, which sounds great to most people,” Bullard explained, “but that’s how we fund our hospitals and nursing homes in Florida, because we haven’t expanded Medicaid.”

Medicaid is more than a government program. It’s a lifeline for many Americans, especially Florida seniors citizens. While balancing the budget is important, Congress shouldn’t do it at the expense of senior citizens.

Click here to send the letter.