Louisiana hospitals press Johnson over megabill Medicaid cut proposals

The Hill

16 hours ago

As the 'big, beautiful bill' teeters towards passage in the Senate, every major health system in Louisiana sent a letter Saturday to the state's entire congressional delegation, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R), warning that planned cuts to Medicaid would be 'historic in their devastation.'
The letter said that the Senate's version of the bill would cut more than $4 billion in Medicaid funding, with a loss of more than 16,000 jobs. Even the House's version of cuts, the letter stated, would be a more palatable solution.
However, the 'economic consequences pale in comparison to the harm that will be caused to residents across the state, regardless of insurance status, who will no longer be able to get the care that they need,' the letter reads.
'Steep cuts will force consolidation of services, staffing reductions and closures, reducing healthcare access to everyone in our communities. Our rural communities will especially feel the impact as many of these hospitals are already in difficult financial situations and are likely to experience a significant reduction of services.'
The letter was also sent to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who expressed concerns about the cuts to Medicaid in the Senate version of the bill Thursday and said that the House version would be preferable.
However, Cassidy has not since spoken out against the bill, a vote for which kicked off in the Senate Saturday night.