As Republican Bill Takes Away Health Care from Millions of Americans, Senate Democrats Offer Common Sense Improvements to Medicaid and Empower Federal Watchdogs to Fight Real Fraud
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined a dozen Senate Democrats, led by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as they released legislative proposals to strengthen and invest in the Medicaid program for children, seniors, Americans with disabilities and working families, as well as draft legislation to boost federal anti-fraud initiatives.
“In this moment when Republicans are considering their ‘big bad’ budget bill that would strip Medicaid coverage from millions of Americans, I am proud to stand with this coalition of my colleagues to actually improve Medicaid,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “Over the last several weeks, I have uplifted the stories of many my constituents who benefit from Medicaid. For many of them, their very lives depend on that coverage. And in me, they have a champion.”
“The Republican bill is rotten to the core when it comes to health care. Not only does the Republican bill break their promise not to cut benefits for Americans with Medicare and Medicaid, it also fails to accomplish their stated goal of cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse,” Senator Wyden said. “Senate Democrats say there’s a better way: let’s make the Medicaid program work better for moms, kids and seniors while investing in fraud fighters who have a track record of rooting out fraud where it actually occurs, and returning taxpayer dollars where they belong.”
The legislation comes as congressional Republicans continue to jam their reconciliation through the House and Senate behind closed doors. Republicans falsely claim the bill addresses waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system, but in reality, it rips away affordable health care from millions of Americans without doing anything meaningful on health care fraud. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that virtually all of the health care cuts in the legislation come as a result of families that count on Medicaid losing their coverage or benefits, not eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. It’s the largest cut to American health care in history, all to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.
Summaries of the bills introduced today are below:
- Helping Tobacco Users Quit Act (Senator Blunt Rochester)
- Requires state Medicaid programs to cover tobacco cessation services without cost-sharing.
- Keeping Obstetrics Local Act (Senators Wyden and Hassan)
- Addresses hospital labor and delivery unit closures by increasing Medicaid payments for eligible rural and high-need hospitals.
- Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Act (Senator Cortez Masto)
- Addresses funding shortfalls and ensures long-term stability of health care fraud, waste and abuse prevention work at HHS, CMS and DOJ, which returns $11 for every $1 invested.
- Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act (Senator Whitehouse)
- Provides continuous eligibility for all individuals enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for 12-months.
- HCBS Relief Act (Senator Lujan)
- Temporarily increases the federal Medicaid match for home- and community-based services by ten percentage points for two years.
- Advancing Student Services in Schools Today (ASSIST) Act (Senator Warnock)
- Increases the federal Medicaid match for mental health and substance use disorder services provided in schools to 90%.
- Expanded Coverage for Former Foster Youth Act (Senator Welch)
- Expands Medicaid coverage for certain former foster care youth up to the age of 26.
- Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act (Senator Alsobrooks)
- Requires Medicaid and Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing.
- Easy Enrollment in Health Care Act (Senator Van Hollen)
- Allows individuals to check eligibility for and enroll in Medicaid or subsidized Affordable Care Act coverage through submitting their federal tax return.
- Disaster Relief Medicaid Act (Senator Blumenthal)
- Ensures that individuals eligible for Medicaid who are forced to relocate due to a disaster are able to continue accessing Medicaid-supported services.
- Maximizing Opioid Recovery Emergency (Senator Blumenthal)
- Enhances coverage for opioid treatment for Medicaid, Medicare, and private health plan enrollees, including increasing the federal Medicaid match for opioid medication treatment to 90%.
- State Public Option Act (Senator Schatz)
- Gives states the option to create a Medicaid buy-in program for state residents regardless of their income.
- Postpartum Lifeline Act (Senator Gallego)
- Requires state Medicaid programs to provide coverage up to 12-months postpartum.
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.