“Without the health insurance, kids aren’t going to get the immunizations and the checkups. There are going to be more lost days of school. More trips to the emergency room,” said Dr. Traci Acklin, who grew up in Fayette County, West Virginia. “It would be food or healthcare for a lot of these families.”
Los Angeles Times:
Kids In Pro-Trump Rural Areas Have A Lot To Lose If GOP Rolls Back Medicaid
Communities like this aging West Virginia coal town along the Kanawha River were key to President Trump’s victory last year; more than two-thirds of voters in surrounding Fayette County backed the Republican nominee. Now, families in [Mongomery, W.Va.] and hundreds like it that supported Trump face the loss of a critical safety net for children as congressional Republicans move to cut hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade from Medicaid, the half-century-old government health plan for the poor. (Levey, 7/6)
In other news on the proposed cuts —
Modern Healthcare:
BCRA Spells Trouble For Providers
California has been approaching universal healthcare coverage in large part thanks to the expansion of the Medicare and Medi-Cal programs under the Affordable Care Act. Only 3.5% of California’s population is uninsured and one out of every two children are covered by Medicaid, according to Marin General Hospital CEO Lee Domanico. But that could all change under the Senate’s bill to replace the Affordable Care Act, Domanico said. (Kacik, 7/5)
CQ Roll Call:
New Drug Approvals Could Bust Medicaid Budgets Under GOP Bill
Lawmakers are trying to finish legislation that could help speed prescription drug development, but patient groups and state officials worry that the parallel Republican effort to overhaul the health care system will make it harder for people to access those treatments. Bills (S 934, HR 2430) that would renew the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to collect fees from the drug and medical device industries are supposed to get their final votes in the House and Senate in July. The House is aiming to consider its bill the first week after the July Fourth recess. (Siddons, 7/5)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Worry Grows In Missouri Over Proposed Medicaid Cuts, Effects On Nursing Homes, Elderly
The Republican Senate bill targeting health care reform has created fear among some Missouri nursing home providers and patients about what will happen if the proposed cuts to Medicaid become a reality. About 89,000 Missourians 65 and older rely on Medicaid to help pay for their long-term care in nursing homes. (Liss, 7/6)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.