Wyden Slams Trump Administration Action to Weaken Medicaid

Changes to Medicaid Waivers Would Threaten Care for Vulnerable Families, Create Needless Paperwork, Red Tape and Hardship

Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement following statements made by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma regarding Medicaid waivers that would allow states to restrict access to the program contrary to congressional intent.

“Instead of helping vulnerable Americans get health care, the president and his administration have devised another way to put it farther out of reach,” Wyden said. “By opening the door to onerous obstacles for families who count on Medicaid as a lifeline, the Trump administration would be violating the core objectives of the program. I’ve long said if someone or their loved one doesn’t have their health, everything else becomes a monumental challenge – these types of proposals have that notion totally backwards.” 

Earlier this year, Wyden sent a letter with House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., to the Trump administration reminding it that Medicaid was created to provide “medical assistance [to eligible individuals] whose income and resources are insufficient to meet the costs of necessary medical services,” and that changes like work requirements and lock out periods could violate that principle along with congressional intent.

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