Massive Federal Advocacy Efforts Underway:
January 16, 2025
I just attended a national Medicaid Defense Strategy Call hosted by numerous advocacy organizations with a big footprint and significant advocacy resources and influence on the national stage to include the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, FamiliesUSA, etc.
Brief Notes:
We are now seeing lists of proposals being contemplated by the incoming Administration and some House Republicans that could pose major threats. A recently leaked list of potential draconian cuts is here ttps://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000194-5115-d639-a395-7db5d6b70000 This list prepared by House Republican leadership.
Note: Includes cuts totaling $5 trillion with about half of this number aimed at the federal Medicaid Program.
The House is currently moving at an aggressive pace towards budget reconciliation. This is one way Republicans can pass a new budget without needing input (or votes) from Democrats.
House Speaker Johnson’s reconciliation timeline is very aggressive. Hope to have committees working and reconciliation instructions by the end of February with an intention to pass by April 2025.
Before the House moves on reconciliation or puts a bill in play we have unique opportunities to educate, to go to our delegation and ask them to go to their leaders to express deep concern for draconian policy changes that impact vulnerable citizens. Leadership in the House needs to understand they will have a major problem if they move forward with some of the proposals being floated. For instance, implementation of mandatory Medicaid work requirements could put 36M Americans at risk.
RESOURCES
1) Potential cuts and what they could mean to Americans in terms of loss of insurance coverage in certain states:
2)Cost and Coverage Collaborative (funded by Robert Wood Johnson) sign up here: https://www.costandcoveragecollaborative.com/register/
This is a project looking at how average citizens are thinking about various potential cut proposals and governments role in this process, by convening focus groups across the country. Also includes message guides, actual messaging, etc. for advocates at state level. Also media listening platforms, and other analytical tools to help people understand the dialogue going on online so messaging can be meaningful and effective, regarding the potential threats ahead.
3) Sign up for an upcoming Webinar focused on protecting Medicaid for Older Adults here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8917365400816/WN_UWnZXbyERLO631ROiJz4xQ?#/registration
4) Link to a MedPac list that shows Medicaid spending by state category and source of funds by state:
5) Medicaid Work Requirements Could Put 36 Million People at Risk of Losing Health Coverage – with state-level data (CBPP)
6) Paper on how per capita caps harm states, including some state data used to illustrate: Medicaid Per Capita Cap Would Harm Millions of People by Forcing Deep Cuts and Shifting Costs to States (CBPP)
7) Paper that provides an overview of previous state-level proposals, strategies and rhetoric used to push for Medicaid cuts at the state level: State Efforts to Take Medicaid Health Coverage Away From People Likely to Resurface in 2025 (CBPP)
8) FamiliesUSA just released a Medicaid FACT SHEET here:
https://familiesusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Medicaid-101-Fact-Sheet_Final-1.pdf
9) Medicaid/CHIP coverage numbers by state and specifically, by congressional district as of 2023.
Actions you can take now/today:
-Retweet: CBPP President, Health, Immigration, SNAP, TANF.
-Post on members’ Facebook pages: Samples here
-Contact YOUR Member of Congress: Express opposition to the leaked House budget cuts and ask them to publicly oppose them
-Here is the Families USA storytelling form: Share Your Medicaid Experience
Full resource guide from today’s call is here (in case I missed a resource that was discussed during the call but I did not list above):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GxhYSBqZlrjdK0xQ0yA-i6f3zEbcJ7SU1TaiGrSJTKQ/edit?usp=sharing