Bicameral Democratic Committee Leaders Call for Constructive Dialogue on Medicaid

Senate Finance, House E&C Ranking Democrats Seek Input from MACPAC to Bolster Medicaid and CHIP

WASHINGTON –Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Gene Green (D-Texas) today sent a letter to the commissioners of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) seeking input on several areas of interest in Medicaid and CHIP to help Congress support the programs for the more than 70 million Americans they serve.

“In light of a recent letter sent by chairmen in the House and Senate expressing their interests in MACPAC’s future work, we—as Ranking Members of the relevant committees of jurisdiction—would like to join our colleagues in expressing areas of interest in Medicaid and CHIP to ensure MACPAC has a current, comprehensive and holistic perspective of Congressional priorities,” the letter said.

“Medicaid is a very efficient program, covering the average enrollee at a lower cost with more comprehensive benefits and significantly lower cost-sharing than private insurance. While the federal government can do more to leverage Medicaid dollars to move from paying for volume to value, build system capacity, and extend innovative strategies across Medicaid and throughout the health care system, we are concerned by partisan efforts aimed at undermining this critical entitlement.”

MACPAC, an independent, nonpartisan commission, is tasked with providing impartial, evidence-based feedback and recommendations to Congress.

The full letter can be found here.

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