The Hill News

As a pediatrician working in southeast DC, the Medicaid program means more to me than just fodder for heated budget debates on Capitol Hill.  Despite its imperfections, Medicaid is a lifeline of health and dignity for my patients and their families.

So when I hear talks of "tightening the belt" when it comes to federal spending, I don't see Medicaid as an expendable program. Yet, this belt-tightening metaphor is being used to justify support for proposed legislation like the State Flexibility Act (HR1683/S868), which lets states off the hook from maintaining Medicaid eligibility requirements for some of the country's most vulnerable populations. 

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