Published April 2003 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd A Prescription for Health Care Disaster
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a budget resolution that requires an estimated $92 billion in cuts to Medicaid during the next ten years. Neither the Senate budget resolution nor the Administration budget includes any such cuts to Medicaid. These massive cuts in Medicaid funding, if enacted, would threaten the health care for millions of Americans, including approximately 300,000 West Virginians. This is the worst possible time to enact such draconian cuts to Medicaid, a critical safety net program. States are currently facing the most severe budget crisis since World War II, and nearly every state has proposed or enacted cuts to its Medicaid program, including West Virginia. Any reduction in federal Medicaid funding would place millions of vulnerable Americans now receiving Medicaid in jeopardy of losing their health coverage. Federal funding reductions would force states to implement even deeper cuts by restricting eligibility, eliminating or reducing critical health benefits, and severely cutting or freezing reimbursement rates for health care providers. As a result, Medicaid funding cuts would add millions more to the ranks of the uninsured. Medicaid was originally intended primarily for poor children and the disabled, but most states, including West Virginia, have expanded it to include the families of the working poor or near-poor and elderly people who could not afford to fill in the gaps in their Medicare coverage. It is now the largest health insurance program in the country. I recently sent a letter, along with several of my Senate colleagues, to the leaders of the Senate and House Budget Committees strongly urging them to reject the inclusion of any Medicaid cuts as part of the final budget resolution. It is unfortunate that Congress must divert attention to preventing mindless cuts to Medicaid when, instead, we should be focusing on ways to increase funding for this critical program. Legislation is needed to enhance federal funding levels for Medicaid to provide cash-strapped states with some fiscal relief and to shore up the health care safety net during this time of economic hardship. I am deeply committed to ensuring access to needed health care for all West Virginians, and I am proud to have helped provide health care facilities and services throughout our state. In the corning weeks, I will continue to work to correct the budget shortfalls for Medicaid and other vital health care programs which most directly affect West Virginia. April 9, 2003