Minnesota's Medicaid director says program cuts would be "impossible"
The Trump administration wants to reup President Trump's tax cuts of 2017, which are set to expire this year. In order to do that, U.S. Congress would have to cut Medicaid in every state, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
With the looming threat, Minnesota officials are scrambling to figure out how they could fill the enormous hole in the state budget and continue to supply vital health services to residents.
Breaking down the figures in Minnesota, 1.3 million Minnesotans rely on Medicaid for their health care, 40% of Minnesota kids depend on it and, when it comes to nursing homes, 55% of nursing home residents rely entirely on Medicaid.
The proposed cut to Medicaid in Minnesota is $1.5 billion a year from an annual budget that, as of 2024, stands at roughly $18 billion. The cut would be drastic, and the decisions state officials would have to make are being described as "impossible," according to John Connolly, who is the Minnesota director of the Medicaid program.
"The state would not have the capacity to absorb such a budget cut. It would likely force us to consider some impossible choices, in terms of eligibility – in other words, who is eligible and can enroll in the program, who qualifies to enroll, the kind of benefits and services that we cover, (and) would we have to reconsider some of the things we pay for in the Medicaid program," Connolly said.
Minnesota officials are now trying to share the gravity of what is at stake with the public.
"Who's covered by Medicaid currently? Children, older adults, people with disabilities in our state, in addition to the providers that rely on this program and the different areas of the state that rely on this program. It plays a huge role in rural Minnesota," Connolly said.
The fear is bipartisan. Last month, 14 Republican state legislators wrote Mr. Trump and Minnesota's four Republican members of Congress that Medicaid cuts would mean Minnesota would have "to raise local property taxes drastically or close services." As of yet, the legislators say they've gotten no response.
A vote in Congress on proposed Medicaid cuts is anticipated in the coming weeks.
