Md. healthcare center on medicaid “We’re not sure what is going to look like going forward”
Members of the U.S. Senate are getting back to work after a week long recess.
On the congressional level, the Russia probe is topping the list but it's not the only bullet-point on the to-do list. The ambitious legislative agenda includes talks of major overhauls in the healthcare system.
As lawmakers talk, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland appears to listening. It's the purpose behind his "Listen In Maryland" tour made stops in Caroline County on Monday. During the tour, Senator Cardin was able to speak with city and county leaders in an effort to "underscore connections between federal policies and Eastern Shore communities".
A big part of one discussion included concerns over potential cuts to Medicaid.
Under a proposed budget released by the Trump Administration, 800 billion dollars would be cut from Medicaid. The overall goal is to balance the federal budget within ten years.
According to Senator Cardin, that may come at the expense of rural communities with residents who rely on Medicaid.
"People hear "Medicaid" and they think it's someone else, it doesn't effect them," says Cardin. "But when you live in a rural area, a large part of the population are in the Medicaid programs so these facilities that are here for the general public are unlikely to be here if the Medicaid population is restricted."
One facility represented on Monday's roundtable was the Choptank Community Health System. It's a non-profit with six medical facilities plus four dental centers within Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester Counties.
CEO Sara Rich tells 47ABC, it receive more than 20 percent of its total funds through federal assistance in order to provide service.
While the future of healthcare remains to be seen, Rich explains there's a cause for concern with 41 percent of their patients on Medicaid.
"We're not sure what is going to look like going forward," says Rich. "Medicaid is a very important program for the communities that we serve and that would be problematic if that was cut back."
Testifying before the Senate Budget Committee, director of the Office of Management and Budget ('OMB) Mick Mulvaney says the foundation of the plan is three percent growth. At the May hearing, Mulvaney told lawmakers this budget does borrow money but it has a plan to pay it back.
According to Mulvaney, the budget also looks at expenditures through the eyes of people who pay for it.
"I think for too long, we probably just looked at the impact on the folks receiving tax payer dollars and not nearly enough time focusing on the folks who pay taxpayer dollars and that is new in this budget this year," Mulvaney said.
For more information about the proposed budget, click here.
