House settlement bill health care and cuts put older people at risk
New analysis from the Center for Budget and Policy Focus (CBPP) found that the House Republican budget settlement bill would directly harm older people by weakening their access to affordable health care and critical food aid.
Health care
More than 7 million elderly people and nearly 5 million disabled people receive health insurance through Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid covers three-fifths of nursing home residents and pays for long-term community-based services and supports services that Medicare does not have. It also helps some Medicare beneficiaries pay premiums, deductibles and cost sharing.
The House settlement bill will make the largest Medicaid cut in the program's history, but that won't reduce anyone's care needs. This will only shift the entire cost of care to states, which will eventually fall on the shoulders of older people and disabled people: the federal Medicaid funding gap cannot be filled, and the state will be forced to cut, which will give Medicare MediciCaid recruiters higher costs, less health care and poorer health care and poorer outcomes. Meanwhile, changes to Medicare eligibility and expired Affordable Care Act (ACA) cost assistance will further erode coverage and care. The CBPP notes that these hazards may arise in the following ways.
Increase medical insurance costs
The bill will prevent the simplification of the final rules for the Medicare Savings Plan (MSP). MSP is a Medicaid benefit that can help people with Medicare with limited income and savings to provide Part B premiums ($185.00 per month in 2025). These Medicare-Medicaid participants are automatically given a D Parts Low Income Subsidy (LIS)/Extra Help, which helps pay for their out-of-pocket prescription medications, saving them an average of $6,200 per year. These plans combine to make health care costs more manageable, allowing enrollers to maintain health insurance, afford medications, and better meet daily living expenses such as food and housing. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), about 1.4 million people will no longer receive such cost-sharing assistance under House bills and will therefore face increased out-of-pocket expenses, which could make Medicare coverage as well as health and financial security – the scope involved.
…1.4 million people will no longer receive such cost-sharing assistance under House bills and will therefore face increased out-of-pocket expenses, which could make Medicare coverage as well as coverage within health and financial security.
Threats family and community-based care
The House bill will provide new restrictions on how states can provide their share of Medicaid. The state is unable to work in these new parameters and faces a funding shortage. To compensate for these losses, they may reduce Medicaid services they do not need to provide, such as family and community care for older people and people with disabilities.
Imposing harmful work requirements
The Medicaid job requirements in the House bill will result in a penalty for job losses, which applies to individuals under the age of 64. The CBO found that 5.2 million adults will lose Medicaid, including many who are working or should be exempted, but will still be required to trip over. The provision could have a disproportionate impact on older people who face barriers to stable employment and barriers to compliance reporting.
Cut Medicare and ACA qualifications
In addition to cutting Medicaid, the bill would terminate health insurance for many people who work in the United States and pay taxes. This is very different from the current long-standing policy that recognizes the eligibility of everyone who pays sufficient Social Security and Medicare taxes. Additionally, Medicare has prohibited payments to any undocumented person; withholding or revoking the qualifications of health insurance for older people and disabled persons who are legally present, who pay and continue to receive medical insurance taxes on their wages, which would be a dangerous precedent and ominous programmatic shift. Many people have nowhere to cover. The bill would also cut off their chances of obtaining the ACA tax credit, and federal law has restricted Medicaid eligibility for people without a legal status with a green card.
… Withholding or revoking health insurance qualifications for older people and disabled persons who have paid and continue to receive health insurance taxes on wages is a dangerous precedent and ominous programmatic shift.
Reduce the quality of nursing home care
The House Republican settlement bill would break a rule that sets minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. Deleting these guardrails will abandon efforts to ensure safe, quality care for the elderly and disabled in need of nursing facilities and their lives endangered by insufficient staffing of nursing facilities.
Increased costs for middle-aged and elderly people in the ACA market
Despite the extension of numerous other tax breaks, the House bill failed to renew the senior tax credits that helped more than 22 million people (including many seniors who are not yet eligible for Medicare) the ACA ACA Marketplace Program. Previous AARP analysis found that nearly five million adults aged 50 to 64 will face higher ACA premiums next year if these tax credits are allowed to expire. Those who can’t pay thousands of dollars for additional costs may reduce coverage and have no insurance, ultimately leading to health and higher health insurance costs.
Food Assistance
Healthcare is not the only dangerous basic need in the House bill: food aid is also underway. SNAP helps over 40 million people, including 8 million low-income elderly people, buy the food they need to build and maintain health. This help is crucial. Older people are uniquely susceptible to the consequences of food insecurity, such as hunger, poor diet quality and poor health outcomes. Snap has a reliable record of helping them live safely and independently. The CBPP explains how the House Republican settlement bill will reduce by nearly $300 billion, or 30%, jeopardizes this reliable success.
Snap has a reliable help record [older adults] Live safely and independently.
Reorganization snapshot
SNAP benefits have been fully funded for 50 years. The House Republican bill would change this structure by requiring states to cover up to 25% of fees. State that cannot be done will have limited options: reduce enrollment, cut benefits or opt out of the program. The CBO estimates that due to this rule, at least 1.3 million people will lose some or all of SNAP aid per month and may be cut across the board based on individual state choices and during the recession, with the state budget even longer.
Double the work requirements
Under current SNAP rules, adults under 54 may need a 20-hour work requirement per week unless they are eligible for exemptions. The House settlement bill would expand this severe restriction, including applying it to adults aged 55-64. CBO estimates that 3.2 million people will lose food aid in a typical month, one million of which will be over 55 years old.
Cut snapshot eligibility and benefits
Like Medicare and the ACA, the House Republican bill will end the seizure of many currently qualified immigrants. It will also limit future updates to welfare levels, reducing assistance to all participants by $37 billion.
Take Action: Tell Your Senator No Cuts
The House settlement bill will deprive food aid of 50% of uninsured Americans and increase the number of uninsured Americans to about 16 million by changes that make Medicare, Medicaid and ACA coverage more difficult to pay and maintain. These shifts will have a ripple effect throughout the healthcare system, increasing the cost of underwriting and care for all and destroying families and communities across the country. With the Senate discussion, your lawmakers need to hear from you today! Tell your Senator that you oppose the House bill and programs to help older people and people with disabilities stay healthy, safe and independent. Now is the time: let your voice hear!
