Faith leaders, physicians fight to protect Medicaid, SNAP – St. Louis American
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As faith leaders are being arrested following prayer protests in the U.S. Capitol each Monday, the National Medical Association (NMA), has issued a dire warning as Congress considers dramatic cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) programs.
“Medicaid is the largest program providing medical and health-related services to low-income people. Millions of individuals and families depend on this vital service for essential health care services,” the NMA, which represents the interests of the 50,000 African American physicians in the U.S., said in a statement.
“It supports the well-being of children, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income families across the country. Additionally, it helps ensure access to healthcare services, prevents financial hardship due to medical costs, and supports the overall health and well-being of vulnerable populations.”
Medicaid provides affordable health coverage to approximately 79 million people, and SNAP helps approximately 42 million people nationwide obtain nutritious foods for themselves and their families.
According to a new analysis from the Urban Institute, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, low-income American families would see their annual incomes shrink the most under congressional proposals to pay for tax cuts by cutting Medicaid and SNAP.
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Black and Hispanic patients are twice as likely to lose coverage, with Black Americans accounting for 19% and Hispanic Americans comprising 30% of Medicaid enrollees.
The cuts could be devastating to many Missourians’ health, and the state budget could be shredded.
Missouri could lose an estimated $2 billion a year in federal funding as congressional Republicans look to cut at least $880 billion over a decade from a pool of funding that includes Medicaid programs nationwide.
Medicaid and the closely related Children’s Health Insurance Program together insure roughly 79 million people — about 1 in 5 Americans.
“We’re looking at a much more significant impact with the loss of federal funds even than what 2005 was,” said Amy Blouin, president of the progressive Missouri Budget Project think tank. “We’re not going to be able to protect kids. We’re not going to be able to protect people with disabilities from some sort of impact.”
According to the Johnson Foundation, analysis shows that all income groups making less than $30,000 per year would be worse off, on average, but families with the lowest incomes—those making less than $10,000 per year—would lose the most from these combined policies, facing a nearly 15% cut in income after taxes and government benefits (more than $2,700 in 2026).
Meanwhile, high-income families would see substantial increases in annual income. For example, families earning more than $200,000 would, on average, gain more than $13,000 next year from the policies under consideration.
The tax cuts alone would disproportionately benefit wealthy families, the analysis shows. Average savings from extended tax cuts would net just $20 for families with incomes below $10,000, compared to more than $80,000 for families with incomes above $1 million.
“Our analysis shows the benefits of these combined policies would be concentrated in families with higher incomes, while the lowest-income families would suffer significant losses in net income,” said Jessica Banthin, senior fellow at the Urban Institute.
“Congress is seeking to play the role of a reverse Robin Hood by raiding the safety net to finance tax cuts for the wealthy,” said Avenel Joseph, interim executive vice president of RWJF. “Medicaid and SNAP are critical lifelines that allow millions of people to care for themselves and their families and live their healthiest lives. Gutting these vital programs in favor of regressive tax policies will harm health and weaken local economies.”
Lawmakers are considering two new proposals to decrease federal matching funds that support state Medicaid expansion populations and force severe work reporting requirements that would lead to substantial coverage losses.
According to the RWJF:
-The estimates for the number of avoidable deaths that could result from the proposals to cut Medicaid include roughly 34,200 deaths annually if Congress reduces the federal matching rate (FMAP) for Medicaid expansion enrollees, and about 15,400 deaths annually if Congress imposes federal work reporting requirements on expansion enrollees.
-Medicaid provides health care coverage to one in five Americans — more than 70 million people — including 40% of all children and 60% of all nursing home residents.
-Without Medicaid, patients will have to resort to emergency room care. Emergency rooms are more costly, placing a financial burden on both patients and health care systems. In particular, emergency rooms that accept Medicaid will face overwhelming demand, which may impact physicians’ well-being and reduce care quality, amid the ongoing physician shortage.
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