AHIP,
an
advocacy
organization
for
health
insurers,
is
sounding
the
alarm
over
the
potential
impact
of
the
2025
budget
reconciliation
legislation,
which
includes
significant
cuts
to
Medicaid
and
the
individual
market.
“We
are
very
concerned
about
the
impact
on
coverage
of
some
of
the
proposals,
the
impact
on
coverage
for
people
in
the
individual
market,
the
impact
on
coverage
for
people
in
Medicaid,”
said
Mike
Tuffin,
president
and
CEO
of
AHIP.
“People
served
by
Medicaid
are
clinically
complex.
Often
these
are
people
with
real
economic
insecurity
in
their
lives,
people
from
working
families,
often
doing
really
demanding
jobs
that
don’t
come
with
benefits.
So
we
are
advocating
that
Medicaid
be
kept
stable
for
the
people
who
count
on
it.”
Tuffin
made
these
comments
during
a
Tuesday
press
briefing
at
the
AHIP
2025
conference
held
in
Las
Vegas.
It
comes
after
the
Senate
Finance
Committee
released
its
draft
version
of
the
bill
on
Monday,
which
includes
even
more
significant
cuts
to
Medicaid
than
the
House
legislation
that
passed
in
May.
For
example,
the
House
bill
would
add
work
requirements
for
childless
adults
on
Medicaid,
but
the
Senate
bill
would
expand
this
to
parents
of
older
children.
Medicaid
work
requirements
would
mean
that
enrollees
have
to
verify
that
they’re
working,
volunteering
or
going
to
school
in
order
to
receive
coverage.
This
is
a
proposed
change
that
AHIP
takes
issue
with.
“That
is
a
foundational
shift
to
how
Medicaid
and
the
expansion
work
today
…
coupled
with
significant
changes
to
the
financing
of
Medicaid,
with
some
changes
to
both
provider
taxes
as
well
as
state-directed
payments.
[These]
do
result
in
some
really
significant
cuts
to
Medicaid
that
we
feel
will
have
a
significant
impact
on
coverage,”
said
Jeanette
Thornton,
executive
vice
president
of
policy
and
strategy
at
AHIP,
during
the
briefing.
Tuffin
added
that
most
people
on
Medicaid
are
working
already.
AHIP
is
also
concerned
about
the
budget
bill’s
impact
on
the
individual
market
and
the
expiration
of
the
Affordable
Care
Act
enhanced
premium
tax
credits,
which
is
set
for
the
end
of
2025.
“If
the
tax
credits
are
allowed
to
expire,
we’re
really
concerned
that
this
market
could
be
fundamentally
disrupted,”
Tuffin
said.
“That
would
come
at
a
time
when
we
potentially
would
have
people
losing
eligibility
for
Medicaid,
and
they
may
be
encountering
an
individual
market
that
is
disrupted
and
with
higher
premiums,
with
fewer
choices.”
Many
Republicans
have
argued
that
the
proposed
changes
will
address
fraud,
waste
and
abuse
in
healthcare.
Thornton
noted
that
while
AHIP
supports
efforts
to
reduce
fraud,
waste
and
abuse,
it’s
“clear
that
this
goes
beyond”
that
and
will
instead
result
in
significant
coverage
losses.
To
prevent
some
of
these
changes,
AHIP
is
doing
a
“lot
of
education
and
a
lot
of
outreach,”
Tuffin
said.
The
organization
is
meeting
with
members
of
Congress,
as
well
as
partnering
with
patient
advocates,
healthcare
providers,
hospitals
and
employers.
Some
of
its
partners
include
the
Modern
Medicaid
Alliance
and
Keep
Americans
Covered.
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