REP. SALMON: “Medicaid needs reform, not expansion”
First bill repeals Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, gives states more flexibility
WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Matt Salmon (AZ-05) introduced his first piece of legislation in the 113th Congress. Salmon released the following statement regarding H.R. 1404, The Medicaid Expansion Repeal and State Flexibility Act:
“Today, I’m honoring my pledge to fight with everything I have to eliminate Obamacare before it causes more damage to our economy.
“My first step in this fight addresses Medicaid expansion at the federal level.
“One of the big-ticket items included in Obamacare was a provision that essentially bribed states to expand their Medicaid eligibility requirements to 138% of the poverty level, and to have the Federal government pay for 100% of the expansion. As with most other aspects of Obamacare, unwanted strings are attached.
Obamacare only covers the full cost of this expansion for the initial years, but leaves the onerous federal mandates to stay.”
“Medicaid needs reform, not expansion.”
“Instead of more federal mandates, I support giving States the maximum flexibility to provide services to their most vulnerable populations. My bill strikes the Medicaid expansion from Obamacare, and provides this flexibility without the strings attached.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to repeal this and more of Obamacare’s harmful federal policies.”
Additional Information:
Since the creation of Medicaid in 1965, the focus of this program has been on providing health care to vulnerable low-income individuals.
- Under current law, the Medicaid expansion is expected to cost Federal and State governments over $500 billion dollars from 2014-2019.
- Currently, Medicaid provides health care to over 60 million Americans and consumes a growing portion of State and Federal budgets.
- By adopting the Medicaid expansion to cover up to 138% of the federal poverty level provided in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), states will be expanding Medicaid to a different population of able-bodied adults, the vast majority of whom are single and without dependents.
- Adding more people to the already distressed system only further exacerbates Medicaid’s underlying problems.
Click here to read the text of H.R. 1404