Casey goes to bat for Medicaid
U.S. Senator gives the issue a face by inviting Marine vet to Congressional address
When President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28, many Pennsylvanians, and perhaps especially those who benefit from Medicaid, will be listening closely.
In part, because the 50-yearold federal program that provides health insurance to low-income and disabled Americans could be in for a major overhaul proposed by Congressional Republicans last year, which now has a chance of becoming law due to GOP majorities in the House and Senate, and the Trump administration’s pledge to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare.
The Republican proposal, outlined by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan’s 2016 “A Better Way” plan, could move federal funding of Medicaid to block grants that would establish fixed dollar amounts, or a per capita cap, on monies the federal government is currently mandated to reimburse each state for individual beneficiaries.
The GOP plan would also eliminate the ACA’s Medicaid expansion component which allows
states to include additional enrollees, surpassing the program’s minimum requirements.
Standing in vehement opposition to the Republican plan is Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey from Pennsylvania.
“In essence,” Casey said,
“Medicaid has two speeding trains headed for it: Full ACA repeal and block granting of Medicaid.
“This is a bad idea and it has no redeeming quality and it should be thrown in the trash heap where it belongs.”
Casey will be accompanied at the Capitol Tuesday by Marine Corps veteran Joe McGrath. McGrath, from Lafayette Hill, is living with Parkinson’s
disease and has a teenage daughter with Down syndrome.
“Obviously when someone serves their country as he has, it’s a great privilege to bring them to Washington even if they don’t have a personal connection to this issue. But it’s really emblematic of how widespread the misery would be if they (Congressional Republicans) get their way on Medicaid,” said Casey on his decision to extend an invitation McGrath.
“Having Joe McGrath as part of that team to help us stop the block granting of Medicaid will be of great benefit to our cause, Casey said. “If block granting were to go through and become law now that there’s a Republican president, who during the campaign said he wouldn’t touch Medicaid along with Medicare and Social Security... It would have an adverse affect on