According to HHS, nine states are responsible for 60 percent of children’s coverage losses between March and September.
HHS wants states with the highest rates of children dropped from Medicaid to use certain federal rules that make it easier to get families back on coverage.
In letters sent Monday to the governors of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urged the states to take up more of options CMS has offered to ensure coverage. The options include allowing states to use enrollee information they have to auto-renew coverage.
HHS also issued new guidance for states Monday, including an option to give kids an additional 12 months to get on the rolls. That option is available through 2024, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure told reporters.
Becerra also asked the states to remove barriers to Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment for children no longer eligible for Medicaid, reduce call center times for families and expand their Medicaid programs if they haven’t already.
His hands aren’t tied, he just refuses to use any of the tools available to him.
For example, he could withhold federal funding from states that refuse to comply.
Can he do that? I thought Congress controlled the purse.
Trump had no problem withholding federal funds from things he didn’t like.
Sure, he might lose the fight if he tries, but there’s a gulf between “try and fail” vs “beg”
Why not ask him to personally murder a Republican governor? After all, your guy Trump would do it…
… there’s a huge gulf between “withhold federal funds” and “murder political opponents” 🙄
Based on historical events, that will just allow them to make further cuts to programs that support the poor and minorities because “we can’t afford these programs”. Cutting funding as a threat to conservatives who don’t want to spend government money on the less fortunate is counterproductive.
Conservatives are re-directing and outright pocketing federal funds wherever possible. They employ privately held interests and invent money-hiding bureaucratic schemes to provide bullshit services.
I live in Texas where this has been the case for decades. State services here are effectively non-existent because of it, yet we receive quite a bit of federal funds. Where does it all go? Into our governor’s friends’ pockets (and thus to him as well).
If the feds want services to actually reach red state residents, they will need to exclude the state entirely from the process. Period.
A conservative politician is simply not capable of making a choice that benefits others. Conservatives will never permit their state social support systems to function effectively, as long as they have any say in it.
They could make further cuts right now, no need to wait for Biden to give them justification. Why do you think they don’t
They do make cuts already, it just gives them even more of an excuse. That is why it is counterproductive, more fuel for the dumpster fire with zero possible upside.
They don’t need an excuse. They could just do it.
Why don’t they? I have a theory, what’s yours?
They are cutting those programs.
What is your theory for why they are not doing the thing they are already doing?
That’s literally what this thread is about lol
My point is that Biden could put legitimate pressure on them by threatening to cut off federal funding - not just to Medicaid, but to shit like highway funding. The response I’m getting is “if Biden does that then they’ll just cut more” which doesn’t make sense because they could already cut more. They don’t need an excuse, as evidenced by this fucking thread and your own fucking link.
Why haven’t they already cut everything? Can you answer that?
They want to get re-elected. If they don’t have an excuse but to cut everything, they can do it but still get re-elected. So your solution is to give them what they want and get them re-elected.
Letting poor people die of lack of medical care is not the merciful strategy you think it is.
Biden is letting poor people die due to Republican policies, because he doesn’t want to play for keeps.