TALKING WITH THE MEDIA ON PROPOSED STATE CUTS
TO THE MEDICAID PROGRAM

Medicaid provides vital health coverage for people who otherwise would be forced to go without medical treatment. As states face budget shortfalls, Congress should recognize the important role that Medicaid plays in the lives of low-income children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Otherwise, governors will be forced to make difficult decisions and cuts valuable health care services from those who depend on it the most.

Medicaid Provides Critical Support and is the only Source of Health Care Available:

• Medicaid is a valuable and necessary service that plays a critical role in health care of seniors, children and people with disabilities.
• Paying for much-needed medical treatments out of their own pockets is not an option for many low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and children. Medicaid is their only source to receive vital health care.
• Over half of those who depend on the Medicaid program are children.

Cuts to the Medicaid Program are Short Sighted:

• As states struggle with budget shortfalls, Congress must recognize the importance of this critical safety net.
• Medicaid does represent a significant part of state budgets, but it also brings in federal dollars. In fact, every $1.00 a state spends on Medicaid brings in between $1.00 and $4.01 from the federal government.
• Cutting Medicaid not only hurts children and seniors, it will cost jobs. States spending on Medicaid created more than 2.9 million jobs.

Now More Than Ever People Need These Existing Public Programs:

• In this time of economic uncertainty, states should not be forced cut off low-income children or seniors from their only source of health coverage.
• Even seemingly small cuts to benefits could mean that seniors would no longer have access to prescription drug coverage or children could not have access to dentist visits or vision care.

November 2003