MMA, Other Healthcare Organizations Urge Congress to Protect Medicaid

The MMA and more than 100 other healthcare organizations signed a letter to the Minnesota Congressional delegation on December 19 to alert them of the potential changes at the federal level to Medical Assistance (MA) in Minnesota.?

“Medical Assistance is a critical program in our ongoing efforts to make Minnesota the healthiest state in the nation,” said Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA , MMA president. “It provides needed coverage for the most vulnerable and Congress must work to ensure it remains strong.”?

The letter, which was signed by healthcare providers, health insurers, nonprofits, service organizations, and consumer and worker representatives, expresses opposition to “major changes to Medicaid such as making it a block grant, instituting a per-capita-cap, adding work reporting requirements, and other measures in upcoming budget resolutions and reconciliation bills.”?

“Through Medical Assistance, over 600,000 Minnesota children and 140,000 Minnesotans with disabilities are able to visit their family doctor to stay well, find medical care when they need it, and pay for treatment without fear that their financial security will be at risk,” the letter noted. “Every month, 38,000 of our state's elders find support through a nursing home or in independent living thanks to the state's Elderly Waiver and Nursing Facility programs.”?