I'm glad the Senate voted to not cut Medicaid, AT THIS TIME. Medicaid is a very complicated program, and this takes more thinking than just a budget cut.
Medicaid is a matching program with the states. For instance, the state of Mississippi matches 25 cents for every 75 cents the Feds provide them. Each state is different depending on their economic demographics So you see, a cut at the Federal level also means a cut at the state level.
The majority of Medicaid payments are for children under the age of 18. I was surprised by this statistic, once thinking that lazy people were on this program. Sure, there are a few of those types, but other people on Medicaid are the developmentally disabled and other handicapped persons. Should we cut dollars for them?
Congress is really gutless trying to cut a program like this when the recipients are those have no or hardly any voice in our political system. You notice the shit-storm the administration has encountered by AARP and other like groups, when they tried to develop personal social security accounts. Imagine the outcry if they tried to cut social security or Medicare.
No, this one requires thinking outside the box to reform the program, not just blindly cut it. The Republican leadership is dead WRONG when it says a cut in Medicaid would not hurt recipients.
I am a life long Republican with a CPA and an MBA, and I'd rather raise taxes than blindly cut Medicaid.