EDITORIAL: State and federal lawmakers must protect Medicaid funding

July 09--Budgets are tight. Both state and federal lawmakers are looking for ways to cut costs. All options are on the table.

But one place where they should avoid making more cuts is health-care benefits -- especially for seniors, children, pregnant women, family-care adults, and the blind or disabled. Those are the primary eligibility categories for Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that pays for medical care for low-income and medically needy individuals and families.

This is especially true in Wyoming, where our elderly population is expected to continue to increase. During testimony recently to the Legislature's Government Spending and Efficiency Commission, state Department of Health Director Tom Forslund said his department is already starting to see an uptick in the number of seniors applying for Medicaid benefits. And, based on demographics, he expects a "significant" increase in those numbers over the next 13 years.

That's why it's critically important for state legislators to do all they can to avoid making further cuts to the state Health Department, which took a $100 million hit in the most recent round of budget reductions.

And since Medicaid is a 50-50 cost-share with the federal government, it's also vital that Wyoming residents and state leaders communicate this program's importance to our congressional delegation.

Republican U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso both were involved in drafting the initial version of the Senate's replacement for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. And though they were just two voices among the 13 Republican men who created the Better Care Reconciliation Act, the initial version called for $800 million in cuts to the Medicaid program.

Which begs the question: If they or someone they loved needed Medicaid to cover their nursing home care, would they be so quick to defend such a draconian measure? (The same question applies to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., of course, who is equally supportive of the House's ACA-replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, passed earlier this year.)

Some will argue that Medicaid funding cuts don't necessarily mean fewer people are covered by the program. Since states get to decide how much to pay medical-care providers through the program, they can simply further cut back on the reimbursement amounts.

But Mr. Forslund rightly points out that could result in doctors and other health-care providers -- especially in Wyoming's rural areas -- deciding not to serve Medicaid patients. And since larger cities can be many miles away, these patients could be forced to drive long distances to get the critical care they need.

This doesn't even address the fact that state legislators have repeatedly refused to accept the extra money available under the ACA to expand Medicaid coverage to an estimated 20,000 low-income Wyoming residents who don't currently qualify for coverage.

Earlier this year, Republican Gov. Matt Mead's office estimated doing so would bring $268 million to the state at a time when mineral industry revenues are at a low point. Yet for the fourth year in a row, a majority of our state legislators -- all Republicans who believe the ACA is unsustainable -- voted against Medicaid expansion. (Apparently they, too, don't have a family member who needs this program.)

Which brings us to the question of what's next? It's clear that our country's health-care system is broken and needs a major overhaul. It's also clear that politicians -- on both sides of the aisle -- lack the knowledge to fix it. Since they haven't come up with a better option in the past seven years, it's time for them to get out of the way and let those who know more about the issue craft a solution.

Until that's done, though, both state and federal lawmakers must do all they can to make sure the most vulnerable among us have access to the care they need.

WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK: Contact us via email at opinion@wyoming news.com.

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