South Florida Democratic leaders and health care professionals are decrying the federal budget blueprint approved by the Republican-majority Congress that proposes billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, the government-funded program for people with low incomes.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, participated this week in a “Medicaid Day of Action” to focus public attention what those cuts might mean for Floridians.
“ Essentially they're taking what is a lifeline for Florida's low income populations," she said, noting 4 million people in Florida rely on Medicaid for their health insurance and that half are children. Her congressional district has 110,000 Medicaid beneficiaries.
In 2023, 27% of Miami Dade County residents were covered by Medicaid; 18.3% in Broward; 16.5% in Palm Beach and 12% in Monroe. Wasserman Shultz congressional district includes parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program.
The $880 billion Medicaid program is financed mostly by federal taxpayers, who pick up as much as 80% of the tab in some states. And states, too, have said they’re having trouble financing years of growth and sicker patients who enrolled in Medicaid.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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