Republican says he's been called ‘racist' by House colleagues over Medicaid work requirements
'I think work matters in America. I've been criticized by that, I've been called a racist because I think you should work, by members of the Ways and Means Committee,' Hern said during an interview with NewsNation reporter Joe Khahil at the Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday.
He told Khahil that he ran on the idea that the government should get out of the way of businesses so that 'they can create jobs and put Americans to work.'
'That's what President Turmp's doing every single day, he's bringing business back to America…you create jobs so people can work, not be dependent on the government.'
Republicans insist the work requirements will only impact able-bodied Americans abusing Medicaid. However, independent analysts say millions of eligible people will lose coverage due to increases in red tape under the law.
Khahil also pressed Hern on his thoughts on the impact of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' on rural hospitals. The Republican representative said he was more concerned about the impact of Obamacare, noting that work requirements won't kick in until after next year's midterms.
'Yeah, but what nobody's talking about, reporting on, is how much Obamacare destroyed the rural hospital,' he said.
'There's going to be a lot of demagoguery about this. A lot of these cuts to Medicaid, a lot of these work requirements, and others don't even go into effect until 2027,' he added.
The new law cuts roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid, mainly through new work requirements and a reduction on how states can fund their Medicaid programs through provider taxes and state-directed payments. Adults between the ages of 19 and 64 will need to work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for Medicaid coverage unless they qualify for certain exemptions.
Republicans did not extend enhanced ObamaCare subsidies in their megabill, meaning millions of Amerericans are set to face sky-high premiums and unaffordable coverage without legislative action. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 4.2 million Americans could lose health insurance coverage.
Many Republicans aren't interested in extending them and have criticized Democrats for offering the subsidies in the first place, arguing the cost was unsustainable.
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