Congressional Republicans Hack Away at Medicaid While the Rich Hollow It Out From the Inside

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.truth-out.org/congressional-republicans-hack-away-medicaid/1311878004

Republican assaults on social service programs have finally yielded some significant advances, with the Obama administration offering to push the eligibility age for Medicare up from age 65 to 67. Also, as part of a bargain to raise the debt ceiling, the administration has offered to dial down cost-of-living increases in Social Security benefits.

But it's Medicaid, which, as the health provider of last resort for the most vulnerable segment of society, has long been a tempting target for Republicans.

To remind the young, to whom Medicaid and Medicare tend to blend together, the former is a program jointly funded by the state and federal governments that pays for medical care for those who can't afford it.

In March, Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan helped devise a plan to cut Medicaid by one-third over ten years. Also, Republicans sought to turn Medicaid into a block grant, which is a fixed amount with few strings attached for states, as opposed to an adjustable amount should certain contingencies arise. But Republicans soon realized that Ryan was coming perilously close to that social services third rail that has come to haunt many a Republican in elections past. They then, instead, introduced the State Flexibility Act to pave the way for states to accept fewer applicants to Medicaid.

More at the link --