House GOP drops some Medicaid cuts from reconciliation plan

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Roll Call

Posted May 6, 2025 at 10:47pm


Republicans will have to come up with alternative savings to make up for hundreds of billions of dollars in potential Medicaid cuts that GOP leaders appeared to rule out after meeting with moderates in Speaker Mike Johnson’s office Tuesday evening. Johnson, R-La., said leadership had ruled out two Medicaid policies that could go a long way toward meeting the Energy and Commerce Committee’s $880 billion, 10-year savings target but faced strong pushback from blue-state GOP centrists.

First, Johnson said the emerging package wouldn’t touch the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP, rate — the portion of state Medicaid costs borne by the federal government — for the Medicaid expansion population, which is currently 90 percent. Johnson also poured cold water over a provision that would implement per capita caps on Medicaid benefits for enrollees in expansion states, though he wasn’t quite as definitive on that front. “I think we’re ruling that out as well, but stay tuned,” he said.

At least one provision remains in the mix: new work requirements for healthy adults in states that expanded Medicaid to receive the 90 percent federal match, a key provision of the 2010 health care law. “That will be part of the bill, it always has been,” Johnson said on including work requirements.

The Congressional Budget Office has scored prior Medicaid work requirement proposals as saving over $100 billion — which would still leave Republicans substantially short of what they need.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2025/05/06/house-gop-drops-some-medicaid-cuts-from-reconciliation-plan/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Unfortunately Johnson is not irrelevant.

Somehow he manages to cobble together just enough mini-compromises to pass legislation. It's bad legislation to be sure, but it still makes it look like the House is functioning. Which it's not in any real sense.

[JBTaurus83]

2. This is probably

the best we can expect from an all GOP government. Work requirements only and leaving everything else alone is better than a lot of the other crap they were considering.

[elocs]

5. When your party loses the presidency as well as both houses of Congress,

you end up taking what you can get.

[Silent Type]

3. Not perfect but better than benefit cuts, assuming we can trust the MFers. Most work requirements have exceptions

like disability (including mental conditions), frail health, volunteer work, job training, going to school, caring for children, caring for someone infirmed, work or volunteering requires 20 hours a week average, etc.

Until Congress gets off its rears and passes universal coverage, this is the crud we have to live with.

[cstanleytech]

4. What I'd not object to is a free government mandated job training and or education provision.

It won't happen because the goal is to kill Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts to the ultra wealthy like Trump.