WUSF | By Gabriella Paul
Congress could cut billions from Medicaid over the next decade.
In February, the U.S. House of Representative passed its version of a federal spending plan that envisions cutting at least $880 billion from Medicaid over 10 years. The Senate budget resolution called for at least $1 billion in cuts to the health insurance program for low-income Americans.
“The heavy lifting is next. They need to do something that’s called a budget reconciliation bill, and that’s where Congress needs to come up with very detailed plans about not just Medicaid, not just SNAP, but taxes, defense spending, everything,” George Washington University health policy researcher Leighton Ku said.
Federal spending details will be finalized when both chambers agree on the same version of the budget. It’s part of a lengthy process called budget reconciliation, which has historically been used to fast-track spending, tax or debt-limit changes by the federal government.
This story was originally produced by WLRN, South Florida’s only public radio station at 91.3 FM, as part of a content sharing partnership with MIA Media Group. Read more at WLRN.org
