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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kentucky would be sicker, hungrier and poorer under U.S. House plan
House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., left, and ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., right, speak during a markup of Medicaid budget cuts that are now before the full House, May 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by) The U. S. House of Representatives is now considering a radical budget and tax plan that would take health coverage and food assistance away from more than 100,000 Kentuckians, all to offset a fraction of the cost of cutting taxes for America's wealthiest people and corporations. If passed, it would be the largest funding cut to both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history. More than 1 in 3 Kentuckians use Medicaid to see a doctor or afford medicine, but the new House plan would make it harder to get, keep and use that health coverage. It includes: Burdensome work reporting requirements that put 197,000 to 282,000 Kentuckians at risk of terminated health coverage for those caught up in new red tape. Mandatory copays that would delay or prevent working class Kentuckians from getting needed care. More frequent checks for eligibility leading to needless coverage-ending mistakes. Cuts that make coverage options more expensive for those who purchase health insurance on kynect – adding thousands of dollars for many families. SNAP, meanwhile, helps more than 575,000 Kentuckians afford their groceries. But this House plan would radically restructure the 50-year-old program by: Increasing red-tape requirements that will kick older people and parents off the program, putting 135,000 Kentuckians at risk for the first time. Shrinking SNAP by shifting up to $190 million in annual costs to the already-underfunded state budget, equal to the cost of hiring 2,354 Kentucky public school teachers. Preventing future benefit changes to match updated nutrition standards or a rapid rise in cost of food, as we've all experienced recently. As a state where so many people are able to receive medical care and put food on the table because of these federal programs, Kentucky would be left sicker, hungrier and poorer by these cruel and unnecessary changes. The cuts will pass huge new costs down to Kentucky's budget, potentially squeezing out state investments in everything from education to infrastructure. And the cuts will weaken our economy as well, especially in rural Kentucky. Medicaid keeps the doors open at many hospitals. Cuts that result in terminated coverage or less care threaten the jobs of nurses and providers across the state. At the same time, SNAP stimulates local economies and supports jobs at farmers' markets and grocery stores. In 2024, more than $1.3 billion in federal SNAP benefits went to more than 4,700 retailers across the state. These cuts are being proposed in part because many politicians in Washington want to extend key parts of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy. The richest 1% in Kentucky would receive over $45,000 in annual tax cuts from those extensions, while the poorest 20% would get $70. The House bill also adds even more giveaways to the wealthy by further increasing the estate tax exemption, expanding the pass-through deduction loophole for super-rich investors, and creating a new tax credit for the exact kind of private school vouchers that Kentuckians roundly rejected in the Amendment 2 vote last year. And that's just some of the dangerous changes in this plan. The proposal also hurts immigrants and their U. S. citizen children, makes the cost of student loans go up and denies the full child tax credit for the very poorest kids who would benefit the most from the added income. It kills energy tax breaks that have helped fuel new jobs at battery plants and power installations all across Kentucky. Taken as a whole, the House plan is a recipe for greater hardship and the redistribution of wealth from hard-working Kentuckians and their kids to the pockets of the richest people in our country.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Map Shows Latest Medicaid Work Requirements Across US
House Republicans are renewing their push for Medicaid work requirements through new legislation that would compel certain recipients to complete monthly "community engagement" activities, like working, studying, or volunteering, to retain their health benefits. The proposal, long championed by conservatives and supported by President Donald Trump during his first term, represents a significant shift in how the federal government supports low-income adults without dependents. The bill instructs the committee to reduce the Department of Health and Human Services budget by $880 billion over 10 years. Critics warn this will substantially weaken the Medicaid system, the largest public health insurance program in the country, by forcing millions off the service. Supporters of the plan, however, argue that work requirements will foster employment, reduce fraudulent claims, and improve personal responsibility. The legislation, part of a broader budget reconciliation bill passed by the House in April, is now under review by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It mandates 80 hours of verified community engagement per month for able-bodied Medicaid recipients aged 19 to 55. The proposed reforms also include enhanced eligibility checks and significant cost shifts from the federal government to the states. The reform bill revives a model from the first Trump administration, in which work requirements were approved for some states but later blocked by courts. In 2018, over 18,000 people in Arkansas lost Medicaid coverage before judges ruled the policy contradicted Medicaid's mission. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the current proposal would save the federal government $109 billion over a decade but would result in approximately 600,000 people losing coverage and shift $65 billion in costs to state governments. Other key provisions include semi-annual income verification checks, up from the current annual reviews, and a reduction in the federal match rate for Medicaid expansion populations from 90 percent to a range between 50 to 83 percent, increasing states' financial burden. New cost-sharing rules would also require some Medicaid enrollees to pay more out-of-pocket. Fourteen states currently either have approved Medicaid work requirement legislation or have such policies in process. Georgia is the only state that has Medicaid work requirements in place, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The rule was implemented in July 2023, and expires in September 2025, and the state is looking to renew the policy. In the state, Medicaid applicants must complete a minimum of 80 hours of qualifying activities before Medicaid coverage begins. Arizona is looking to bring in legislation where individuals would be required to fulfill certain work-related or qualifying activities for at least 20 hours per week for Medicaid support. There would also be a one-year ban for individuals who "knowingly" fail to report a change in family income or who make false statements regarding their work status. The state is currently seeking an amendment to be made to its Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) 1115 waiver to implement the change. Arkansas is also waiting for the approval of an amendment to be made to its existing policy that would require Medicaid recipients to be assessed by the state to determine whether they are "on track" or "not on track" toward meeting "personal health and economic goals." Ohio has also proposed a new 1115 waiver, that would condition Medicaid expansion coverage on meeting work requirements. Legislation seeking federal approval for implementing Medicaid work requirements has been adopted in a number of states including: Idaho, Indiana, and Kentucky. Similar legislation in Missouri is awaiting state Senate approval, and in Montana, a policy signed by the state's governor will seek federal approval for Medicaid work requirements. Legislation is also under way in North Carolina and South Dakota. Iowa, South Carolina and Utah are all wishing for amendments to be made to their state policies regarding Medicaid work requirements and each are still at the public comment stage of the process. In Iowa, the state public comment period is open until May 15, while in South Carolina it will continue until May 31, and in Utah the period ends on May 22. Dr. Susan Dorr Goold of the University of Michigan, told Newsweek: "They seem logical, but most able-bodied Medicaid enrollees already work. Sometimes their employment is not reliable, for example, in restaurants or tourism. The data show that work requirements increase costs by adding bureaucracy, have no effect on employment, and disenroll eligible people who don't navigate the bureaucratic requirements correctly." Jamila Michener, Associate Professor of Government and Public Policy at Cornell University,previously told Newsweek: "Medicaid work reporting requirements are an ineffective policy mechanism that achieves little except to create barriers to healthcare access. "Work requirements have already proven to be a failed policy that produce no discernable benefit. There is growing evidence of the harms of work reporting requirements including cutting off access to health care, driving up uninsured rates, increasing the burden of medical debt, and a range of other adverse consequences. "Work reporting requirements create administrative burdens for already vulnerable populations. They also create confusion and unwarranted disenrollment from Medicaid, as people often don't know about them, causing perfectly eligible beneficiaries to lose benefits simply due to lack of information." Professor Michener added that the "harmful effects" of work requirements "are concentrated among Black Medicaid beneficiaries, making the policy a driver of inequality." The Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to begin its review of the legislation this week. Related Articles Who Could Be Losing Medicaid Access? What to Know About Proposed CutsPolice Eject Medicaid Protesters in Wheelchairs From House CommitteeNew Jersey Gubernatorial Candidate Steven Fulop on Medicaid PlansMedicaid Change Could Save Taxpayers $30 Billion 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Republicans Propose No Regulation of AI for the Next 10 Years
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. House Republicans added a new provision to their sweeping budget bill that would block states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade—a move that could upend hundreds of state-level AI laws and reshape the national debate over tech oversight. If enacted, the measure would halt both existing and future state restrictions on a wide class of AI and automated decision-making systems, while also encouraging "legacy business systems" to adopt new AI-related technology. In congressional documents, the proposal reads: "No state or political subdivision may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act." The proposal's future hinges on further congressional review and whether the AI moratorium meets Senate reconciliation requirements for inclusion in the final bill. House Committee on Energy and Commerce chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) speaks during a markup meeting with the committee on Capitol Hill on May 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The committee met to discuss legislative recommendations... House Committee on Energy and Commerce chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) speaks during a markup meeting with the committee on Capitol Hill on May 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The committee met to discuss legislative recommendations for budget reconciliation. MoreMore to follow
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Uproar as disability rights protesters in wheelchairs dragged out of House Medicaid meeting: ‘You're going to kill me!'
Disability rights protesters in wheelchairs clashed with Republican lawmakers Tuesday as they sought to discuss and debate their sprawling legislation on Medicaid, which led to police dragging advocates out. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which governs Medicaid, began its 'mark up' for its part of the legislation that Republicans have taken to calling 'One Big, Beautiful Bill.' At one point, one advocate shouted at Republican lawmakers saying: 'You will kill me!' As Capitol Police escorted the protester out, she shouted: 'Bulls***! Liar!' Throughout the hearing disability rights activists interrupted discussions to protest the cuts. Under the House Budget resolution that passed earlier this year, the House has to find $1.5 trillion in spending reductions to unlock $4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts. If Republicans fail to cut $2 trillion worth of spending, the amount of money left for tax cuts will be reduced by the difference between $2 trillion and the final number of savings. Republicans claimed throughout the hearing that the legislation would not hurt people with disabilities. Under the bill, able-bodied adults without dependents must engage in at least 80 hours of either work, community service or education to be eligible for Medicaid. Republican Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama pushed back against accusations that people with disabilities would lose their Medicaid coverage. 'The people who are legally eligible for Medicaid are not going to lose their Medicaid,' he insisted. 'We've all got family members, friends, we've got people in our districts, we all know these stories, people that are depending on Medicaid, and you will not lose your Medicaid.' But the protester interrupted Palmer, identifying herself as from Youngstown, Ohio and said that her drugs cost $10,000 a month. Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas tried to tamp down criticism as people with disabilities expressed fear that they might lose their coverage. 'Here's my apology to you: I am sorry that people lie to you, I am sorry that so many people in the media and the left have lied to you,' he said. Many Republicans have said that the legislation would only cut coverage for able-bodied men, and specifically focused on undocumented immigrants. But disability advocates say that the legislation's requirements to have states determine if patients are eligible for Medicaid every six months could cause some to lose benefits. 'There are lots of people with disabilities ... who may not meet the specific social security definition, but who absolutely do have disabilities,' Katy Neas, the CEO of the Arc, told The Independent. Neas also said that the cuts to Medicaid could wind up causing states to cut optional programs such as Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, which allows for people to stay in their homes rather than in nursing homes. Because it's an optional program, it has long waiting lists to apply, varying by state 'The choice is to go in an institution, or, more likely, people will just be put out, and their families will do the best they can for them, but isn't going to be sufficient for what they need,' she said. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who joined the committee this Congress, praised the activists for their protests. 'First and foremost, I think that they have demonstrated a tremendous amount of courage and bravery putting themselves on the line in order to defend Medicaid for people across the country, and the Affordable Care Act,' she told The Independent. She feared that the 'able-bodied' requirement might exclude some people who desperately need Medicaid. 'Does it include people with varying degrees of mental health diagnoses?' she asked. Ocasio-Cortez also pointed out that the legislation would also roll back a rule from the Biden administration requiring that a minimum number of staff work at nursing homes. 'This is definitely going to affect people who rely on nursing homes, the staffing that happens in nursing homes, this is all in the text of the bill, and on top of that, including people who are eligible and covered by Medicaid,' she said. During the hearing, Ocasio-Cortez pointed out how many people in areas – including those represented by Republicans – depend on Medicaid. Rep. Greg Landsman, a moderate Democrat from Ohio, questioned why people needed to be dragged out from the hearing. 'It seems strange that folks in wheelchairs would be arrested,' he said. 'Quite frankly, it's a life or death situation for them. I understand that they can't disrupt a proceeding, so they need to be removed. But why arrested?' Numerous House committees are engaged in marathon markups of their parts of the bill. Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, hope to pass the bill that ramps up spending for immigration enforcement at the Mexican border and boosts oil exploration while also extending the 2017 tax cuts that Trump signed in 2017. But the bill will face stiff opposition in the Senate, where many Republicans, including allies of the president, worry about steep cuts to Medicaid.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Law Would Ban All AI Regulation for a Decade
Republican lawmakers slipped language into the Budget Reconciliation Bill this week that would ban AI regulation, on the federal and state levels, for a decade, as 404 Media reports. An updated version of the bill introduced last night by Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), who chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, includes a new and sweeping clause about AI advancement declaring that "no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the ten year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act." It's a remarkably expansive provision that, as 404 notes, likely reflects the engraining of Silicon Valley figures and influences into Washington and the White House. Tech CEOs have vied for president Donald Trump's attention since he was inaugurated, and the American tech industry writ large has become a fierce and powerful lobbying force. The Trump administration is also stacked with AI-invested tech moguls like David Sacks, Marc Andreessen, and Elon Musk. Meanwhile, the impacts of a regulation-free AI landscape are already being felt. Emotive, addictive AI companions have been rolled out explicitly to teenagers without evidence of safety, AI companies are missing their climate targets and spewing unchecked emissions into American neighborhoods, and nonconsensual deepfakes of women and girls are flooding social media. No regulation will likely mean a lot more fresh hell where that came from — and little chance of stemming the tide. The update in the proposed law also seeks to appropriate a staggering $500 million over ten years to fund efforts to infuse the federal government's IT systems with "commercial" AI tech and unnamed "automation technologies." In other words, not only does the government want to completely stifle efforts to regulate a fast-developing technology, it also wants to integrate those unregulated technologies into the beating digital heart of the federal government. The bill also comes after states including New York and California have worked to pass some limited AI regulations, as 404 notes. Were the bill to be signed into law, it would seemingly render those laws — which, for instance, ensure that employers review AI hiring tools for bias — unenforceable. As it stands, the bill is in limbo. The proposal is massive, and includes drastic spending cuts to services like Medicaid and climate funds, slashes that Democrats largely oppose; Republican budget hawks, meanwhile, have raised concerns over the bill's hefty price tag. Whether it survives in its current form — its controversial AI provisions included — remains to be seen. More on AI and regulation: Signs Grow That AI Is Starting to Seriously Bite Into the Job Market
