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Sunday, May 17th, 2020

As millions lose insurance, states cut Medicaid in response to the coronavirus crisis

Author:     IGOR DERYSH
Source:     Salon
Publication Date:     MAY 16, 2020 2:00PM (UTC)
 Link: As millions lose insurance, states cut Medicaid in response to the coronavirus crisis
Stephan:   This story gives you the true measure of the immoral and true nature of healthcare in the United States. In any honorable nation that cared a whit for the wellbeing of its citizens, you would never read this story. But here, where profit is all that matters, it is completely predictable.
Participants hold signs during the Senate Democrats’ rally against Medicaid cuts in front of the U.S. Capitol  Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

States are announcing deep Medicaid cuts due to budget shortfalls stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, at the same time that millions of people lose their employer-based health coverage.

During the Great Recession, state Medicaid programs slashed coverage for services like dentistry, podiatry, and insulin pumps amid steep budget cutbacks. The current crisis “is going to be the ’09 recession on steroids,” Matt Salo, the executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, told Politico. “It’s going to hit hard, and it’s going to hit fast.”

Medicaid, which is one of the largest programs funded by states, covers about 70 million low-income adults and children — the same population that has been hit hardest by the coronavirus. Though the federal government pays more than half of the Medicaid cost, governors ultimately determine the scope of the program in each state.

Several states have already announced cuts to their Medicaid programs and others are expected to follow. Ohio […]

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