Latest news with #KFF
The Hill
20 hours ago
- Health
- The Hill
Hawley seeks to repeal Medicaid cuts he voted for
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wants to repeal parts of the 'big, beautiful' law he just voted for. Hawley on Tuesday introduced new legislation to roll back some of the Medicaid cuts that were included in the massive tax cut law, which passed the Senate two weeks ago and was signed into law by President Trump on July 4. Hawley's bill would repeal provisions that limit states' ability to levy taxes on health providers to receive more money from the federal government. The bill also seeks to repeal a cap on state-directed payments, which allows states to direct how providers are paid by privately run managed care plans. 'Now is the time to prevent any future cuts to Medicaid from going into effect,' Hawley said in a statement. 'I want to see Medicaid reductions stopped and rural hospitals fully funded permanently,' he added. Hawley's bill would boost a $50 billion fund aimed at helping rural hospitals by adding an additional $50 billion, and extending it from five years to ten. Experts have said $50 billion isn't nearly enough to make up for the impact of the cuts. According to a KFF analysis, federal Medicaid spending in rural areas is estimated to decline by $155 billion over a decade because of the bill. Hawley was one of the most outspoken senators regarding Medicaid cuts in the runup to voting on Trump's domestic policy law. He repeatedly said he wanted to protect Medicaid and warned against making any cuts to the program. But the legislation he ultimately voted for cut about $1 trillion from Medicaid. While most of the cuts won't happen immediately, rural facilities say they likely will have to make difficult financial decisions about which services they can afford to keep and which may need to be cut.
Arab Times
a day ago
- Health
- Arab Times
PAAET requires medical exam for health majors
KUWAIT CITY, July 15: Acting Dean of Admissions and Registration at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) Dr. Fawzi Al-Doukhi announced the adoption of new health requirements for admission to certain medical and health specializations for the 2025/2026 academic year. These new requirements were laid down after the identification of infectious disease cases that prevented graduates from being appointed to health agencies despite meeting the academic requirements. Al-Doukhi revealed that students accepted into the aforementioned specializations must submit a recent medical examination certificate, proving they are free of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and hepatitis B and C. He indicated that the new procedures apply to all programs in the College of Nursing, in addition to several courses in the College of Health Sciences, as follows: Respiratory Therapist, Anesthesia Technician, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Emergency Medical Technician. He confirmed that the basic admissions plan for the 2025/2026 academic year started as scheduled, and that applications this year will be limited to Kuwaiti students only, as per the directive of the Higher Admissions Committee. He disclosed that the application period will be from Aug 8-18, with a comprehensive media and advisory campaign in the admissions halls, official social media platforms and Kuwait TV. He added that a pavilion will be established at the Avenues Mall from Aug 2-7 to respond to the queries of students and parents. He said the new specializations being offered for the first time include Fire Engineering Technology in cooperation with the Kuwait Fire Force (KFF). He added that the program is for four years and the students will graduate directly as firefighting officers. Requirements for this specialization: Applicants must be male (only this year) A minimum GPA of 85 percent Must hold a recent certificate (issued within the last three years) Pass the interview and medical examination Meet the requirements of KFF Other majors offered last year include: Respiratory Therapist at the College of Health Sciences Energy Efficiency at the College of Technological Studies Applied Statistics, Marketing, Logistics Management, and Human Resources Management at the College of Business Studies Al-Doukhi pointed out that the increasing demand for medical majors reflects a growing awareness among students of the importance of these specializations and the labor market's need for them. He called on all Kuwaiti students to follow the authority's official platforms and benefit from the available support and guidance, emphasizing the authority's commitment to facilitating admission and achieving fairness in educational and employment opportunities. He revealed that this year's admissions plan includes several categories of Kuwaitis as follows: 1. New students (high school graduates who are not enrolled or employed) 2. Students on study leave from accredited official bodies 3. Employees with a 'no conflict' certificate (limited to institutes) 4. Employees wishing to combine work and study (providing a certificate proving the combination) Basic Admission Requirements: The student must not be enrolled in another university or academic institution. The high school diploma must be accredited or officially certified and equivalent. A proper academic sequence for the secondary stage must be present. For holders of Saudi certificates: A test of academic ability and achievement is required; otherwise, the certificate will not be valid. Applications are submitted via: - The authority's official website - The Sahel government application Some categories(students on study leave, combining work and study, and no conflict) are required to appear in person at the admissions halls. After the admission results are announced, the students will receive a message confirming their acceptance into a specific major and will be asked to approve or reject their acceptance electronically. The deadline for approval is Sept 6, 2025; after which admission will be automatically revoked for any student who has not approved the admission. Al-Doukhi pointed out the difference between the application percentage and the acceptance percentage, explaining that the application percentage is the minimum percentage allowed for admission, while the acceptance percentage is the lowest percentage accepted after the competition. In health specializations
Politico
a day ago
- Health
- Politico
Megabill may not be a silver bullet for Democrats in the midterms
That's leaving some Democrats concerned that their Medicaid-focused messaging might not hit home before November 2026 — and blunt their efforts to use the backlash to President Donald Trump's signature legislative achievement to fuel a Democratic wave next year. 'I do [worry about it],' said Cherlynn Stevenson, a former Kentucky state representative running for the congressional seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Andy Barr. 'I think that there are some people who are like, 'Well, I'm not on Medicaid, so it's not going to affect me.'' But Democrats are still forging ahead with making Republicans' Medicaid reductions a central theme of their midterms messaging. Many have already dusted off the playbook they deployed in the 2018 midterms, when Democrats picked up dozens of House seats after running against Republicans' near-repeal of the Affordable Care Act and massive tax cuts. This cycle, Democrats have eyed redder seats in Kentucky, Florida and Virginia as they try to push into GOP-held territory. That's in part because, though most of the pain was put off as long as possible, some of the effects — like on rural hospitals that have to budget on longer timelines — could be felt sooner. The seat Stevenson is aiming to win in rural Kentucky has a half-dozen hospitals that could potentially face funding disruptions that serve nearly 200,000 Medicaid enrollees. Democrats are embarking on a series of roundtables in the state to discuss the ramifications of Republicans' health care cuts. But they know the effects will be more tangible if the cuts were already here. 'We will need to remind voters that the impact is going to kind of come in waves, and that a lot of the brunt of the damage won't be felt until next year, or even after the midterms,' Stevenson said. 'We just will have to remind them that provisions of the bill are still coming, that deadlines are looming.' But the bulk of the health care cuts Republicans built into their megabill — including reductions to the so-called provider tax many states use to help fund their Medicaid programs and new work requirements that could cost millions of people their coverage — won't kick in until after the midterms. Republicans have signaled they'll use the popular parts of the legislation like a tax deduction on tips to go on offense against Democrats. NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said Democrats were using 'desperate and disgusting fear-mongering tactics' and added the GOP would 'use every tool to show voters that the provisions in this bill are widely popular.' Polling shows voters are receiving mixed messages on Medicaid. A tracking survey from nonprofit health policy group KFF shows 63 percent of independents said they believe the bill will strip health care coverage from people who need it, but they also broadly support adding work requirements to the program. 'If Republicans are able to characterize these changes as simply fraud and waste, there may not be as drastic political implications,' said Ashley Kirzinger, associate director of KFF's Public Opinion and Survey Research Program. Another potential pitfall for Democrats: States use different names for the Medicaid programs — Medi-Cal in California, SoonerCare in Oklahoma, Health First Colorado — that could leave some voters unaware that the cuts are from national Republicans. Democrats will get a trial run for their Medicaid messaging in this year's gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Democrats' nominee to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, has attacked her opponent for being ' fully on board ' with Republican cuts, and argued that New Jersey is ' the first chance to hold them accountable at the ballot box.' Laura Matos, a Democratic strategist in New Jersey, noted that Republicans are 'counting on people not paying attention' to the impact of the bill, but also warned Democrats not to get too bogged down in national issues. 'For Mikie, it's this nebulous thing,' she said. 'You can talk about national issues, but what she really needs to do is pivot to the things she's going to do here to improve affordability and quality of life.' But other Democrats are brushing aside concerns that voters won't register the impacts of the bill, pointing to substantial news coverage of its cuts to Medicaid and the more immediate changes to Affordable Care Act tax credits that could dramatically increase some Americans' health insurance costs. 'It's the same cynical backdoor bullshit that we always see in Washington,' said Rebecca Cooke, who's running in a purple district in Wisconsin. 'The message, honestly, is going to be coming from voters themselves as these cuts hit.' Republicans may also tweak their Medicaid language before it's fully implemented. Some GOP lawmakers who voted for the megabill are already pushing to stop some of the harsher provisions — like changes to the provider tax that could have an adverse effect on rural hospitals — from taking effect. 'If Republicans don't want to be accused of cutting Medicaid, it's probably a good idea not to cut Medicaid,' Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Wednesday at the Capitol. But Democrats are committed to hammering Republicans over the vote no matter what. 'People are not stupid,' said former Iowa State Rep. Christina Bohannan, who's mounting a rematch. 'People are aware of what's going on, and so we just have to make sure that people understand what's going to happen here, and to hold people accountable for these votes.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pushing Back Against the Big Medicaid Lie
Democrats were virtually salivating as they unanimously voted against Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill two weeks ago, which certainly should give pause to Republicans as they prepare for the midterms and the 2028 elections beyond. What gives the Democrats hope that they can campaign effectively against Trumps mega-bill? Is it the fact that Republicans were able to make permanent the 2017 tax cuts? Are they planning to campaign against the "no tax on tips" provision that even Kamala Harris supported? Will they claim that funding border security and mass deportation of illegal aliens is somehow bad for the country? No, no, and no. Democrats are not idiots. They know they have the short straw on all of those 80-20 issues. So they are going back to the same issue they have demagogued since 2008 - health care. By tugging on the heartstrings of the American public, they know they can use fear to win votes. During debate in both the House and Senate, Democrats relied on questionable forward-looking interpretations of the impact of the mega-bill on Medicaid to claim that nearly 12 million low-income people would lose health coverage if the bill passed, as it ultimately did. The left-leaning Congressional Budget Office supplied some of that data, and by the time the vote was finalized on July 3, various other groups were adding fuel to the fire. KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation, added the 12 million who would allegedly lose Medicaid to 5 million people who they claimed would lose coverage on the ACA marketplace to conclude that at least 17 million would be at risk. Then there was the claim that Trumps budget would deny food stamps to hungry children and pregnant women. But not so fast. Despite the bleak picture painted by Democrats and weak-kneed RINOs that Trump wanted poor people to just die and be done with it, there were reasonable explanations for all the budget changes that had nothing to do with genocide. Reductions in Obamacare premium subsidies are just an acknowledgment that the COVID crisis is over, and those boosted premiums are no longer necessary. Likewise, food stamps are still going to be provided to the disabled, families with young children, and the impoverished elderly, even if Democrats want to pretend otherwise. And pretend they will, so if Republicans want to prevail in future elections, they had better fully understand the truth about the Big Beautiful Bill because otherwise they will be painted as heartless elitists who want their fellow Americans to die by the millions. Fortunately, the road map is already clear on how to respond to the demagoguery of the Democrats, and it was modeled by two members of the Trump administration on the Sunday morning talk shows last week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, faced down their hostile questioners on CNNs "State of the Union" and CBS "Face the Nation" respectively. Bessent, who by all accounts is the most competent member of Trumps Cabinet, immediately pushed back on Dana Bashs supposition that the bill would cut benefit programs like Medicaid: Only in D.C. is a 20% hike over 10 years a cut. Medicaid funding will go up 20% over the next 10 years. The people who Medicaid was designed for - the pregnant women, the disabled, and families with children under 14 - will be refocused. The able-bodied Americans are not vulnerable Americans, so a work requirement or a community service requirement, thats very popular with the public. Bessent then struck a blow against the argument that millions of Americans will lose their Medicaid coverage because they didnt remember to re-apply for benefits under the new rules. "It is a group of Democrats who unfortunately seem to think that poor people are stupid. I dont think poor people are stupid. I think they have agency, and I think to have them register twice a year for these benefits is not a burden. But these people who want to infantilize the poor and those who need these Medicaid benefits are alarmist." Over on "Face the Nation," Hassett was interviewed by Weijia Jiang, senior White House correspondent for CBS. She dutifully recited the claim that 12 million people would lose their Medicaid coverage, but Hassett struck back hard: Lets unbundle that a little bit. What we are actually doing is asking for a work requirement, but the work requirement is that you need to be looking for work or even doing volunteer work and you dont need to do it until your kids are 14 or older, so the idea that thats going to cause a massive hemorrhaging in availability of insurance doesnt make a lot of sense. And if you look at the CBO numbers, if you look at the numbers they say are going to lose insurance, about 5 million of those are people who have other insurance … If they lose one, theyre still insured. Hassett also explained that the best way to get insurance is to get a job, and so if the Trump economy stimulates growth, it will help people to happily leave Medicaid after they gain employment. On another question, about whether the Big Beautiful Bill is harmful because it grows the national debt by between $3 trillion and $5 trillion over the next 10 years, Hassett responded by reminding the reporter that the Congressional Budget Office is underestimating growth in the economy compared to what happened in the first Trump term pre-COVID. Based on that historical record, Hassett expects the debt to actually shrink by $1.5 trillion in the next decade. What Hassett didnt say, but which should be on the lips of every Republican defending their votes for the Big Beautiful Bill, is that over the 10 years from 2014 to 2024, the federal debt increased by more than $17.5 trillion. Admittedly, Trumps first term played a role in that thanks to COVID, but only Trump and Republicans are making any effort today to shrink the debt. If left up to Democrats, every social program in the budget would see increased funding, deficit be damned. To summarize, here are the talking points that every Republican candidate for Congress must master if they hope to beat back Democrat distortions: 1. Republicans voted to increase Medicaid spending over the next 10 years by 20%. 2. Republicans voted to preserve Medicaid for the needy by making sure that everyone using the programs valuable resources is truly needy - and eligible. 3. Republicans voted to create an economy where more people can get jobs that provide high-quality health insurance. Emphasize this: Jobs are good. 4. Republicans treat Medicaid recipients with dignity, asking them to follow simple rules to qualify for the benefit, rather than treating them as helpless wards of the state. 5. Republicans are bending the curve downward on the national debt. Even if the CBO is right that the debt will increase by $3.5 trillion over the next 10 years, that increase is only 20% of what it was over the previous 10 years. And the Trump tax cuts are expected to stimulate the economy, so the national debt will actually decrease. Those will do for a start. Remember, the Big Beautiful Bill is the codification of the agenda that President Trump ran on in 2024. Its not tricky. Its not nefarious. And if it is unpopular, thats only because Democrats have been lying about it. Now, its up to Republicans to fight back against the Big Medicaid Lie, or else pay the price for their silence. Frank Miele, retired editor of the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Mont., is a columnist for RealClearPolitics. His book 'The Media Matrix: What If Everything You Know Is Fake' is available from his Amazon author page. Visit him at or follow him on Facebook @HeartlandDiaryUSA and on X/Gettr @HeartlandDiary.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Breaking down claim 17M people will lose health care under Trump's budget bill
After Congress passed U.S. President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" in early July 2025, rumors circulated that the bill would result in 17 million people losing access to health care. The rumors continued after Trump signed the bill into law on July 4. The 17 million figure came from an analysis from KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy, adding more recent numbers from the Congressional Budget Office. Further, Democrats on the Senate's Joint Economic Committee provided their own estimate using CBO data and landed on the same number. This estimate was based on funding cuts added to the bill in the Senate for the Medicaid program, publicly funded health insurance for people with limited income and resources, and the Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as Obamacare. Medicaid provided health care access for more than 78 million people as of this writing, according to the program's enrollment data. The estimates included not only people affected by the budget bill, but also by other policies by the Trump administration, including the end of tax credits for health insurance premiums provided by the ACA. However, these were estimates and only time will reveal how many people in the U.S. will lose health insurance as a result of this law. As U.S. President Donald Trump signed his "Big Beautiful Bill" into law on July 4, 2025, rumors circulated that 17 million people would lose health care due to the legislation's cuts to Medicaid. For example, House Democrats' X account posted a video of Rep. Laura Friedman, a Democrat from California, explaining what she believed the law would do (archived), like "[kick] 17 million off their health care." On today's Democratic Daily Download, @RepFriedmanCA breaks down the top three things you need to know about the Republicans' One Big, Ugly Bill — from kicking 17 million off their health care to making life harder for parents, all to fund tax breaks for the ultra-rich. — House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) July 9, 2025 This post had received 12,000 views as of this writing. The same claim appeared on Facebook, Reddit and X with prominent Democrats such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (archived) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, spreading the rumor. The new law provided for about $1 trillion in funding cuts for Medicaid, according to a June 30 note by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities based on data from the Congressional Budget Office. Medicaid had more than 78 million enrollees as of March 2025. In a June 16 letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, and Democratic Reps. Frank Pallone and Richard Neal, of New Jersey and Massachusetts, respectively, the CBO estimated the budget bill that had just passed the House would result in 16 million people becoming uninsured by 2034. This number included 10.9 million people who would lose Medicaid coverage and others who would lose health coverage obtained through marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as Obamacare. When the bill was later amended in the Senate, the CBO revised its estimates upward, saying it would result in 11.8 million people losing Medicaid and ACA coverage. This led KFF — a nonprofit organization focused on health policy — to estimate that 17 million people would lose access to health insurance by 2034. The Democrats of the Joint Economic Committee also created an estimate based on CBO data, breaking down numbers by state and asserting that 17 million people across the U.S. would lose their health insurance by 2034 due to the budget bill and other policies of the Trump administration. Though the bill ultimately passed the House without changes on July 3, 2025, and Trump signed it into law the following day, it is important to note that these were estimates. The number of people who will lose insurance in the U.S. as a result of this law and other Trump administration policies will become clearer starting in 2026. Cox, Cynthia. "About 17 Million More People Could Be Uninsured due to the Big Beautiful Bill and Other Policy Changes." KFF, 1 July 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. "Estimated Budgetary Effects of an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Relative to CBO's January 2025 Baseline." Congressional Budget Office, 29 June 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. Euhus, Rhiannon, et al. "Allocating CBO's Estimates of Federal Medicaid Spending Reductions across the States: Senate Reconciliation Bill | KFF." KFF, 1 July 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. Medicaid. "October 2024 Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment Data Highlights | Medicaid." 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. News, NBC. "Live Updates: Trump-Backed 'Big Beautiful' Bill Moves to House after Senate Republicans Make Changes." NBC News, 2 July 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. States, United. "Press Releases - United States Joint Economic Committee." 30 June 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. Swagel, Phillip. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE. 4 June 2025, Accessed 2 July 2025. Hubbard, Kaia, and Caitlin Yilek. "House Convenes to Take up Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' after Senate Passage." CBS News, 2 July 2025, Accessed 10 July 2025. Ramirez, Gabe. "Trump Signs 'Big Beautiful Bill' | CNN Politics." 4 July 2025, Accessed 10 July 2025.
