Posted on 02/28/2025 9:08:36 AM PST by SoConPubbie
Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., rejected the "fearmongering" from Democrats over Medicaid reform and assured that benefits will remain intact for the tens of millions of Americans who are qualified for it, but she told Newsmax on Thursday that 60% of the people on it are not eligible.
President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday that he's "not going to touch" entitlement programs like Medicaid but also promised to root out fraud.
"Since 2019, the last five years, we've seen an increase in Medicaid; it's a 51% increase. You have people, 60% of the people on Medicaid now, are not who it was intended for; not the disabled, not the pregnant women, not the elderly — these are able-bodied people," Harshbarger said on "National Report."
Harshbarger is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has been tasked with finding cost-savings from the fraud and abuse within programs like Medicaid.
"There's a lot to cut with fraud, waste and abuse," she said. "But no one is going to lose their Medicaid if they are legitimately qualified for that. So the fearmongering that the other side, the Democrats are doing, is unfounded."
Harshbarger said she's in favor of work requirements on those who are "able-bodied" and also said federal caps on Medicaid are being looked at, adding that the states need to take the primary role of managing who belongs on Medicaid.
"If you've got able-bodied people on Medicaid that probably shouldn't be on there, all we're asking is you work like 20 hours a week," Harshbarger said. "[T]he significance in what that will cut — $100 billion just in that alone — if you implement work requirements on these people that are able-bodied; it's not intended for the disabled, the elderly or pregnant women.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
"But look, it's not the federal government that would take someone off of Medicaid. That is your governor, that is your state. So all we're saying is, let's put caps on the money that we're sending. Let the state be in charge of putting people on or off Medicaid. But if you can save almost $900 billion where there's fraud, waste and abuse, we're tasked with this. This is a mandate from the American public. We are supposed to stop the spending and bend the spending curve because we're $36 trillion in debt. And if they want to argue about that, then we've got a great argument to hand them."
Remember that, through all of this accounting and downsizing, it’s the parasites who are wailing.
“”If you’ve got able-bodied people on Medicaid that probably shouldn’t be on there, all we’re asking is you work like 20 hours a week,” Harshbarger said.”
A single person can earn up to $30k and still remain on medicaid.
This is where the real money is going.
So If Medicaid costs the Federal Government almost a trillion dollars a year currently and they think possibly 60% of that is to ineligible recipients, doesn’t that indicate almost a half trillion a year that could be saved?
Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., rejected the “Democrat fearmongering” over Medicaid reform and said that benefits will remain intact for tens of millions of Americans “who are qualified,” but that 60% now on it are not eligible.
“You have 60% on Medicaid now, who it was not intended for; these are able-bodied people;
not the disabled, not pregnant women, not the elderly,” Harshbarger said on “National Report.”
Remember that Medicaid is not paid to individuals.
It is paid to health care providers—real or imaginary.
The fraud is totally mind boggling.
Big diff between who is “eligible” and who it is “intended for”.
Good point.
Hospital rates will go up.
I think ineligibles should be excluded, to be sure, but, as a consequence ,
much of the care provided to that 60% will end up being written off.
When that happens- hospitals will have to increase rates.
The biggest fraud is all the illegals on it.
It’s at least half.
Seriously, if any Freeper knows how to get directly in touch with them, please let me know, I have had a first hand experience which they would be interested in knowing about.
Look at the HHS (Health and Human Services) web page for contact information.
Nothing makes a young working class person turn conservative faster than waiting in a doctor’s office and seeing all of the illegals using Medicaid to get free health care while he/she struggles to pay the bill.
“Nothing makes a young working class person turn conservative faster than waiting in a doctor’s office and seeing all of the illegals using Medicaid to get free health care while he/she struggles to pay the bill.”
I took my wife to ER in the middle of the night some years ago. We were the only ones speaking English though we do speak Spanish. You could tell from the accents they were mostly from Southern Mexico and Central America. I suspect we were the only ones with insurance. That means Mr. and Mrs.Taxpayer paid for their care
You might want sharpen your pencil. It is around $21K
We just had a recent case when an illegal from Central America rear ended a car full of female college students in the early morning hours. 2 died and the rest hurt to varying degrees. The illegal took off for Mexico on a bus but was apprehended short of the border. When he returned to town for his court appearance, the proceeding had to be delayed. Evidently, he only spoke a Mayan dialect and a translator had to be found.
Yes, Medicaid should be downsized (very downsized!).
Lots of people on Medicaid should not be there, and even for the people who should, they should pay some co-payments.
The medical care system is clogged with “free” Medicaid recipients, who get it all paid, and obviously, they have lot of time on hand to visits doctors.
BTW. this is the same problem like Canada and all European countries are having.
Long waiting lists everywhere, free, but terrible medical care.
There are just not enough money, doctors and facilities to handle Free care! Nowhere in the world!
All this deadwood cheating the system pisses me off. My wife went into the hospital in Oct 2023, then booted out to a care facility after 2 weeks.
She was there for 87 days. She could no longer walk or even get into a wheelchair, but Medicaid tried to put her out every single week. I had to file an appeal to keep her in the care facility EVERY DAMN WEEK.
After 87 days, she went back to the hospital, where they kicked her out to go home with no ability to walk OR GET TO DISALYSIS.
It was a nightmare to get her assistance for something she paid into for over 50 years.
All the while, illegals were flooding the country and getting freebies, while she had to beg for care.
In many of the countries the illegals come from there is a two tiered medical care system. The public clinics are quite inexpensive, but you get what you pay for.
The private medical facilities are reasonable in price and quite good quality. Without the third party payer getting in the way, prices for all but the exotic services are low.
They even make your family supply your meals if you are in local jail.
EC
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