Posted on 06/21/2025 10:45:01 AM PDT by RandFan
Senate Republicans say they are looking for ways to safeguard rural hospitals from proposed cuts to a key Medicaid funding method, amid concerns from the powerful hospital lobby and others that the budget reconciliation bill could force many facilities to close.
The draft text that the Senate Finance Committee released this week reduces the ability of states who expanded Medicaid under the 2010 health care law to levy taxes on providers to fund their programs.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday he is working on the issue, though he did not offer details. Leadership is attempting to balance directives to cut government spending with demands from senators like Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who said that the bill should protect rural hospitals from the effects of shrinking provider taxes.
“The right thing to do is not defund rural hospitals to pay for your pet projects,” Hawley said. “So if you want your pet project in the bill, go find your own money. Don’t defund rural hospitals.”
Medicaid is often one of the top payers for rural facilities.
States can levy taxes on hospitals, nursing homes and other providers to fund their share of Medicaid spending. The Finance Committee’s proposal would cap provider taxes for states that expanded Medicaid at 3.5 percent, down from the current 6 percent.
Conservatives have derided federal government matching of the provider taxes as “legalized money laundering,” saying states should instead put up their own money.
(Excerpt) Read more at rollcall.com ...
Do you support it?
Might be the best thing to do.
ok. but no funding (at all) for state medicaid programs that are given to illegals.
Do you support it?
—
NO.
It would destroy hospitals, nursing homes and those facilities that use medicaid to pay for residents in assisted care facilities.
Basically, this is the push-granny-over-the-cliff bill the GOP has long been accused of promoting. It is also the best way to lose every seat in Congress in 2026, wiping out the GOP.
Rural medical care is dramatically hit or miss; you might have a great doctor near you today, they retire, and it might be 8 years before you can lure someone to build up a practice again.
Often you're going two to 4 hours away for a minor surgical procedure, major ones might be a 6-8 hour drive.
These are lifelines for communities.
Just as another weird bit of the bill is taking all of the electric vehicles Congress made USPS buy, many of which are the only vehicles in a station with such luxuries as air bags or air conditioning, and just auctioning them off with no replacements for these vehicles. ‘cause why not have another postal carrier die in a crash or from heat related illness, because you decided to force funds to be spent one way, then take those vehicles (and the funds away)..
Huh, and the other problem is that many of the vehicles those electric ones replaced have already been taken out of service and crushed.
There are a lot of questionable choices in the Senate version of the bill that trumpet idealism over rational choices. And of course, those most impacted by this choice as well will be rural mail delivery. They may not have electric vehicles, but restaging vehicles to continue delivery in urban areas will take vehicles from rural mail delivery, and good luck hiring people at $20.38/hr who are told ‘you gotta provide your own vehicle for mail delivery.’
yes
but
lower and simplify the fed income tax as a step towards its complete elimination. DO this along with a reduction of federal govt operations outside the constitutional allocation of powers and responsibilities. A far smaller fed bureaucrazy eating up far less of people’s earnings. The two go together, with the reintrocution of tariffs helping ease the way.
let states and local communities fund things that they believe benefit their areas. The states are supposed to be the general government sovereigns, not the federales.
And the states, being close to the people and needs and local desires, can and usually do a far better job of delivering local or individual services.
Cut off all illegals instead. That would yield plenty of money.
Yup
The way to deal with out of control Medicaid cuts is to get illegal aliens off the rolls
40% of California residents are on Medicaid. In some counties in California 60%+ of California residents are on Medicaid . These are the same counties that have some of the highest percentage of illegal aliens
Medicaid is being financially drained by illegal aliens and homeless people
How about they modify that federal requirement that hospitals have to treat anybody that can’t pay - and at the least exclude illegal aliens, and at the most either drop it entirely or pay the hospitals for their expenses in such cases. The 13th amendment outlawed involuntary servitude, yet that’s is what congress demanded of hospitals.
“States can levy taxes on hospitals, nursing homes and other providers to fund their share of Medicaid spending. The Finance Committee’s proposal would cap provider taxes for states that expanded Medicaid at 3.5 percent, down from the current 6 percent.”
How would keeping 2.5% more revenue hurt rural hospitals?
“Just as another weird bit of the bill is taking all of the electric vehicles Congress made USPS buy, many of which are the only vehicles in a station with such luxuries as air bags or air conditioning, and just auctioning them off with no replacements for these vehicles. ‘cause why not have another postal carrier die in a crash or from heat related illness, because you decided to force funds to be spent one way, then take those vehicles (and the funds away)..”
That seems to be a stupid idea on its face. I’ve read no justification for it.
Walmart uses electric vehicles for deliveries in my area.
Is there a need? Yes, but this is like all other similar Government programs. The legislation is never restrictive enough to stop the fraud, and the penalties aren’t either. The restrictions can be too severe sometimes, but the real key is making the penalties severe enough that only idiots violate them. Also, there needs to be consequences at the government level for those with oversight responsibility that shirk.
Funny how none of these people gave a shit about rural clinics, hospitals and doctors practices having to shutter under Obama care! I guess that’s because even then illegals got their shit for free, I guess that’s without taxpayers ponying up up for illegals there aren’t enough paying clients now?
But they are not just cutting off illegals - their cutting off everyone. CA? what about the rest of the nation?
Many people [ US citizens ] living in assisted care and nursing homes are there because Medicaid pays the bills. No Medicaid, they die or are homeless - is that what you want?
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