Congressman Steven Horsford Condemns Trump Administration Attack on Medicaid

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) voted in favor of H.Res. 826, Expressing Disapproval of the Trump Administration's Harmful Actions Toward Medicaid. On January 30, 2020, the Trump Administration unveiled its illegal Medicaid block grant plan, referred to as the "Healthy Adult Opportunity," which would invite states to cap and slash Medicaid. This would essentially allow states to receive a waiver to block grant their Medicaid programs for certain low-income Medicaid recipients, focused primarily on individuals enrolled in Medicaid through Medicaid expansion.

"The Trump Administration's Medicaid block grant plan undermines access to health care of our most vulnerable Americans and gives states broad authority to scale back important beneficiary protections, restrict eligibility standards, and limit access to prescription drugs," Congressman Horsford said. "Medicaid recipients will be forced off of lifesaving medications, get hit with unaffordable premiums to maintain coverage, and leave more vulnerable families exposed to catastrophic medical bills. The bottom line is that block grants hurt the very people Medicaid is here to help."

Currently, more than 630,000 people in Nevada rely on Medicaid to access their health care, all of whom could face changes to their coverage, or loss of coverage altogether, in a block grant plan. Reducing federal funds through block grants would also limit Nevada's ability to respond to public health crises such as HIV, the flu, or Coronavirus outbreaks.

Capping Medicaid funding would also limit the state's ability to provide adequate funding to keep up with the exponential population growth of Nevada, including the second-highest growth rate in the country of the 85-and-up population. That population is more likely to require nursing home care, primarily paid for by Medicaid funds.

H.Res. 826 states that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that:

• The illegal actions were taken by the Trump Administration to undermine the Medicaid program, including beneficiary protections, are a cruel attack on a program that provides for the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable citizens.
• The Trump Administration should immediately withdraw its illegal block grant guidance and cease its campaign to undermine and weaken Medicaid;
• The Trump Administration should uphold its responsibility to faithfully execute the law, including the Medicaid Act, and cease any and all efforts that threaten the care of the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid.