Nevada lawmakers want answers on how potential GOP Medicaid cuts impact residents

Republicans in the U.S. House are advancing a budget resolution that calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, while also setting the goal of trimming “mandatory spending” of Medicare and Social Security by $2 trillion.

That’s not sitting well with Democrats.

“When we talk about cuts to Medicaid, what we’re really talking about are nursing homes, community health centers, funding for pregnant women and newborn children,” U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said. “And it’s unconscionable to me that Republicans, House Republicans, working with Donald Trump, would announce a ‘screw America’ budget bill that adds $4.5 trillion to our deficit.”

The resolution calls for the committee on Energy and Commerce — which has jurisdiction over Medicaid — to reduce $880 million through 2034. Department of Health and Human Services data shows Medicaid provides critical services to 787,807 Nevadans.

It advanced Thursday in the Republican-controlled House Budget Committee to the full chamber. It's unclear with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., will bring the issue to the floor.

“If these cuts are enacted, Nevada’s state budget could lose billions while hundreds of thousands of Nevadans could lose their healthcare coverage altogether,” Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a joint statement. “All Nevada elected officials – Democrat and Republican – should be united in speaking out against these devastating cuts to Nevadans’ health care.”

Cannizzaro, state Sens. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D-Las Vegas, and Fabian Doñate, D-Las Vegas, sent a letter to Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services director Richard Whitley and Gov. Joe Lombardo’s chief of staff Ryan Cherry earlier this month seeking details on the impact Medicaid cuts would have on Nevadans. 

The state lawmakers asked how Nevada could address unexpected costs under a different spending model where the federal government capped the amount of funding per Medicaid-enrollee or any other scenarios where a Nevadan could lose their coverage.

They requested a written reply to the Nevada Legislature from the Department of Health and Human Services by today, and asked a representative to be available to testify before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee at a future review of the Medicaid budget before the Senate Finance Committee. 

Talks of Medicaid cuts have been circling since President Donald Trump regained office and the new Republican-majority session of Congress began, with one of the newest developments heard during a House budget committee hearing Thursday. 

Democratic members of the committee sought safeguards for the program, but were turned down as Republicans view the programs as infiltrated with fraudsters who take advantage of the system. 

“We’ve heard a lot of fear mongering here today about the $880 billion instruction to that committee,” said the committee’s vice chair Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., during a Thursday's House Budget Committee meeting. “But I want to highlight again, this represents just 4%, just 4% of the 10 year spending of the committee.” 

The proposed cuts come as Republicans aim to enact more of Trump’s agenda and likely head towards reconciliation, which would provide an expedited process for consideration of policies laid out in the budget resolution. 

Republicans in 2017 tried to use the reconciliation process to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, with the House voting to repeal its major provisions and cap federal funding for Medicaid, but were unable to advance it in the Senate. 

While concerns about Medicaid cuts have been steadfast among Democrats, the party is also maintaining the tax cuts laid out in the budget resolution will only benefit wealthy populations. 

Senate Democrats, including Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, sent a letter to congressional leaders last week to express their worries about the budget resolution. 

“These proposals will also force states to make difficult decisions that will result in millions getting kicked off their coverage and providers struggling to keep their practices open,” the letter read. “States simply cannot absorb these massive funding cuts without hurting children, seniors, people with disabilities, tribal populations, patients with chronic illnesses, and many other Americans who rely on Medicaid.”

Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., said this is a process where Republicans want to pass a budget with no Democratic support. The majority party can avoid a filibuster in the Senate through a simple majority vote and a 60-vote majority in Congress’ upper chamber can overrule objections. 

“The purpose is really to give tax breaks to the likes of Elon Musk and the ultra wealthy and big corporations in this country,” Lee said. “But who’s going to get hurt? People in Nevada are going to get hurt.”