The budget resolution recently passed by congress included $880 million spending cuts for the Energy and Commerce Committee. A large portion of the committee’s budget is spent on Medicaid, meaning it would be a potential target to cut spending.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and DFL Representative Jamie Long joined Protect Our Care Minnesota to speak out against potential cuts to Medicaid.

“We know that without this federal assistance, people are going to get sicker. People aren’t going to have the coverage they need. Kids won’t have the coverage they need. And we know that we are going to have a really hard time making that up at the state level,” said Long.

“A record 24 million Americans are now enrolled in high quality coverage through the marketplaces, which is quite a bit, 21 million more are covered through Medicaid expansion. Around 1.2 million Minnesotans are covered by Medicaid, including seniors, children, people of all backgrounds, rural, urban, everybody. And that’s about a fifth of our state. That’s like a fifth of your neighbors,” said Ellison.

While no cuts have been made as of now, certain changes have been made by the Trump administration. Some of these changes include shortening open enrollment, requiring more paperwork from people trying to enroll, raising premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and reducing funding for enrollment assistance by 90%. Congressmen Pete Stauber of Minnesota and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin released statements related to Medicaid and potential cuts.

“Medicaid should be preserved for the most vulnerable – the disabled, pregnant women, single mothers, and low-income children. To protect the program, we must implement reforms to root out fraud, enforce work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults, and ensure benefits do not go to illegal aliens. Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly support these measures, and with over half a trillion dollars in improper Medicaid payments over the past decade, they are just common sense. Republicans are committed to safeguarding Medicaid, so it remains a lifeline for those who need it,” said Congressman Tiffany.

“We want to ensure Medicaid only pays for American citizens and legal immigrants, establish work requirements for able-bodied adults who are choosing not to work and do not have dependent children or elderly parents in their care, and guarantee that Medicaid stops paying for beneficiaries who have died or do not qualify. These are not radical or extreme ideas. As we are facing $37 trillion in debt, it is past time that we identify exactly where Medicaid is being abused and make reforms to protect this program for those who need it,” said Congressman Stauber.