Washington, D.C., November 18, 2005
– The American Public Health Association (APHA) today condemns the budget reconciliation bill passed early today by the U.S. House of Representatives, which cuts approximately $11 billion from the Medicaid program over five years.
“These cuts are unacceptable and they will significantly weaken a vital safety net that provides essential health coverage to America’s most vulnerable residents,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, APHA executive director. “We cannot support this plan that undercuts the public’s health and harms beneficiaries.”
APHA urges the conferees to adopt the U.S. Senate’s approved provisions, which exclude harmful measures that would allow states to impose enforceable, unaffordable co-payments that endanger the health of Medicaid recipients and provide less comprehensive health coverage to millions of beneficiaries, most of whom would be low-income children. However, APHA urges the conferees to reinvest any savings it identified in other parts of the program back into the public health infrastructure and to set aside a higher amount of funding for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims to more adequately protect the health of survivors.
APHA recently released a report that outlines four priorities policy-makers should protect when considering Medicaid reform:
- ensure access to preventive services;
- guarantee treatment for children with conditions and illnesses detected during screenings;
- prohibit cost sharing for receipt of covered services; and
- ensure access to affordable prescription drugs.
“Medicaid, Prevention and Public Health: Invest Today for a Healthier Tomorrow”