The Trump administration’s announcement earlier today around Affordable Care Act enrollees does not currently affect Washington state. The focus of this effort involves enrollees who are part of the federal marketplace, rather than state-based marketplaces like Washington Health Benefit Exchange.
Strong program integrity has been and remains a goal of the Exchange; where ongoing public trust and the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars are part of our success. We take these efforts very seriously and continue to act quickly if any issues arise. There is no evidence that there are issues with brokers or enrollees in Washington state, as highlighted in the federal marketplace. The Exchange has proven processes in place to identify broker conduct issues and continually seeks to strengthen safeguards around broker access and consumer authorization, effectively reducing risk for Washington consumers.
As I and many others have been warning about for the past year or so, the upcoming so-called "work requirements" (aka "paperwork hell" requirements) of last year's Big Ugly Bill are ramping up in January...and in fact have already begun in Nebraska. A few days ago the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published their "final rule" with the reporting and exemption regulations which every state which has expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will be required to follow...and, as expected, it's likely to be a disaster.
Advocates for people with serious illnesses, like cancer and HIV, say the strict Medicaid work rules that the Trump administration released this week are likely to put ongoing treatments in jeopardy.
Over at The New Republic, Greg Sargent has taken this thinking one step further, noting that by delaying so much of the ugliness of the new law until 2027 or beyond...
Republicans know how unpopular all this will be. So they’ve structured the bill so the tax cuts land immediately, while many of the Medicaid cuts get going in 2027 and 2028. That’s meant to spare them in the midterms.
Over at The New Republic, Greg Sargent has taken this thinking one step further, noting that by delaying so much of the ugliness of the new law until 2027 or beyond...
Republicans know how unpopular all this will be. So they’ve structured the bill so the tax cuts land immediately, while many of the Medicaid cuts get going in 2027 and 2028. That’s meant to spare them in the midterms.
(sigh) So, moments ago I received the following press release from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled details on how states can apply to receive funding from the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program created under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to strengthen health care across rural America. This unprecedented investment is designed to empower states to transform the existing rural health care infrastructure and build sustainable health care systems that expand access, enhance quality of care, and improve outcomes for patients.
Amusingly (and sadly), the link itself goes to the WhiteHouse.Gov page describing not the "Working Families Tax Cuts Act" (which doesn't exist) but rather the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" which is what Trump and Republicans insisted on calling it for months, right up until they realized that it's about as popular as a turd in a punchbowl, at which point they decided that simply rebranding it as a "tax cut" for "working families" will solve all their problems at the midterms next year.
Estimated Health Impacts of Almost $13 Billion Annually, Paralyzing Our Health Care System
1.5 Million New Yorkers Stripped of Health Care Coverage and Become Uninsured; Projected $8 Billion in Losses for New York’s Hospitals
Governor Kathy Hochul today joined U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres, local elected officials, doctors, and healthcare leaders to warn of the destructive ramifications of President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ “Big Ugly Bill” on New York State. The cuts imposed by Washington Republicans are expected to have a significant impact, with an anticipated nearly $13 billion affecting New Yorkers healthcare system. Additionally, approximately 1.5 million New Yorkers are projected to lose their health insurance coverage, while over 300,000 households are expected to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits.
