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The Republican party appears to be operating under the assumption that the American populace is blissfully ignorant. This assertion is not made lightly; it seems to be the only logical explanation for their recent maneuvering aimed at evading accountability for the impending cuts to Medicaid.
Representative Austin Scott (R-GA) laid out this plan during an appearance on Fox News:
“FMAP, or the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, varies from 50% to 76.9% across the country. When the Democrats expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, they adjusted that percentage to 90/10, meaning the federal government covers 90% of Medicaid expansion.”
“We are proposing to revert that 90% back towards more traditional levels, around 50% to roughly 80%. This means that instead of the federal government covering 90% and states just 10%, states would need to shoulder a larger portion. However, we assure you that nobody will lose their Medicaid coverage as long as governors continue to fund the program.”
Herein lies the crux of the matter: the Republican strategy is straightforward. By cutting federal funding, they will inevitably pressure state governors into making the tough choice of slashing Medicaid rolls. It’s a classic case of financial sleight of hand, where the burden is shifted to the states, which may lack the fiscal resources to compensate for the lost federal dollars.
