AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued the following statement about proposed cuts to Medicaid, as outlined in the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s reconciliation bill text:
“The AAMC is deeply concerned that the proposed Medicaid policies included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s recently released reconciliation legislation will ultimately limit coverage and access to care for many of the over 70 million Americans — specifically children, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and those in rural and underserved communities — who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage. As the Committee considers its budget reconciliation bill, it is imperative that policymakers prioritize the health of all Americans and soundly reject policies that would specifically lead to the loss of health care coverage for 8.6 million people and undermine the financial stability of safety-net providers.
AAMC-member academic health systems and teaching hospitals, medical schools, and their affiliated physician faculty are committed to caring for Medicaid enrollees. Although our members comprise just 5% of hospitals nationwide, they account for 29% of all Medicaid inpatient days — underscoring the indispensable role they play in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable populations and communities.
The AAMC continues to urge the committee to preserve our health care infrastructure and protect patients’ ability to obtain care throughout the country by rejecting harmful proposals that would undermine the health care safety-net. This includes caps on supplemental payments, which support our members’ ability to provide high-quality care to Medicaid enrollees, limits on provider taxes, and new restrictions on Medicaid eligibility, which will reduce enrollment and increase the number of uninsured in all parts of the nation, urban and rural. If enacted, these policies would place profound financial pressure on safety-net providers, limiting their ability to care for the Medicaid population.
We urge the Committee to uphold our country’s commitment to the health of all people. Now is the time for Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure that every American can receive the health care they need.”