What The House Medicaid Bill Means For Older Adults And Their Families

medical bill with "Past Due" stamp

By Howard Gleckman, for his blog

Low-income workers who leave their jobs or reduce their hours to care for aging parents risk losing their own Medicaid benefits, according to a House committee’s budget plan.  At the same time, major cuts in projected federal Medicaid funding threaten the ability of states to continue to provide services to low-income seniors and younger people with disabilities.

Older adults and their families could be profoundly affected by two major Medicaid changes in the section of the House budget approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee on May 14.

The first would require states to bar Medicaid coverage for people who don’t work at least 80 hours a month at paid jobs, perform community service, or are at least half-time students.

The committee bill also would reduce the projected federal share of Medicaid by more than $600 billion over the next decade, though many of its proposed changes would not take effect for several years. Much of that savings would come from direct cuts in federal payments for the program. And some would come from the new work requirement, which would reduce the number of people eligible for Medicaid.

The Medicaid provisions will be combined with other spending and tax changes in a single 2026 budget plan. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) hopes the full House will vote on the entire fiscal package by Memorial Day. The Senate will try to pass its own version later this year.

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