The Senate Committee on the Budget held an Aug. 4 hearing titled “Medicaid: The Reality.” The association shared a statement for the record on the critical role Medicaid plays in ensuring patients nationwide receive the care and attention they need. The association urged lawmakers and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to draw a clear and principled distinction between program integrity enforcement, which targets fraud, waste, and abuse, and longstanding, legitimate Medicaid payment and financing policies that states use to support safety net providers and the patients they serve.
Senators during the hearing largely agreed on the importance of the Medicaid program and providing health care to vulnerable populations but disagreed on areas of fraud within the program and the best way to direct program funding. Committee Republicans highlighted concerns surrounding perceived fraud in the program, while committee Democrats expressed concerns about the impact of the Working Families Tax Cut legislation.
Contact Vice President of Legislative Affairs Jason Pray at jpray@essentialhospitals.org with questions.
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