Governor Wolf Asks Senator Toomey to Consider Bipartisan Concern Over Medicaid Cuts
In a letter to Senator
"For hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, Medicaid is not a handout - it is a lifeline,"
"Even your Republican colleagues from neighboring states - Senators Portman and Capito - have expressed reservations with the rumored Medicaid changes that would cap Medicaid spending, shift it to a lower future growth rate, and ultimately force cuts at the state level unless state taxes are increased to cover the funding cut at the federal level. Republican governors Kasich, Sandoval and Baker, along with my Democratic colleagues, also raised a red flag over Medicaid cuts in our letter."
Read full text of the letter below. You can also view the letter on
Full letter:
I write you today in complete frustration with the process regarding health care changes in
Regardless, last week, I sent a letter with six other bipartisan governors, including Republican governors from
To my frustration, every indication appears that these bipartisan governors, along with countless health advocacy groups, patient advocates, medical professionals, hospitals, and more, will also be ignored and shut out of the
This is too important - too vital - for secrecy and partisanship. The current path stands to leave possibly a million Pennsylvanians without health insurance over the next decade.
With your proposal about to be unveiled, I want to take this moment to talk about Medicaid. For hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, Medicaid is not a handout - it is a lifeline. It helps families care for an aging parent or a child with a disability. It is helping our state battle the opioid epidemic by diverting people from punitive criminal justice settings and into the treatment they desperately need. It allows kids with intellectual and physical disabilities to go to school and learn.
Even your Republican colleagues from neighboring states - Senators Portman and Capito - have expressed reservations with the rumored Medicaid changes that would cap Medicaid spending, shift it to a lower future growth rate, and ultimately force cuts at the state level unless state taxes are increased to cover the funding cut at the federal level. Republican Governors Kasich, Sandoval and Baker, along with my Democratic colleagues, also raised a red flag over Medicaid cuts in our letter.
Unfortunately, press reports indicate you have advocated for Medicaid cuts to go even further than the House. Even worse, statements from your office have seemingly sought to confuse your constituents about this issue. Saying that these changes won't make anyone ineligible for Medicaid is disingenuous and does not reflect the budgetary reality of covering these populations should you choose to cut federal funding for your state, which you know faces legacy financial challenges.
Under Medicaid cuts in the House proposal,
Worse for older Pennsylvanians, the House bill charges older Pennsylvanians an "age tax" of up to five times what younger Pennsylvanians will pay. For low-income seniors currently receiving income-based tax credits, this, on top of Medicaid cuts, will be especially devastating.
I ask you to join me and Republican governors and Senators to support a more open, bipartisan and intellectually honest debate about the future of health care in this country. Any debate about health care should be about how we cover more people, not less.
I extend to you and your staff an open invitation to have an honest, in-depth conversation about how your approach to Medicaid would hurt
Thank you,
Governor
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