A planned vote in Congress on $10 billion in cuts to Medicaid and other changes to the program has become another casualty of Hurricane Katrina.
“There's no doubt that Hurricane Katrina has made it necessary to provide additional resources for the Medicaid program, and we're going to do that apart from reconciliation in the Katrina relief package that's being put together,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said when announcing an indefinite delay.
“There's broad agreement that some changes need to be made in order to preserve and sustain this vital health care program for the poor and disabled,” he said.
“It's important to understand that the Medicaid reform effort is about fixing loopholes and stopping abusive spending so that more money is available to help states reach those in need both in the short- and long-term.”
In the House of Representatives, 113 Democratic members signed a letter to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) urging him to abandon the proposed spending cuts.
Referring to areas affected by the hurricane, the letter noted, “The health care safety net in these states will be strained to the breaking point by these events. Many of the victims of this tragedy will be left without health care coverage for months if not longer, just when they need it the most. … And they deserve our help.”