Sen. Cathy Giessel of south Anchorage was channeling the talking points of the Democrats on Wednesday, but they were purely guesswork points, as she attempted to weaponize the federal budget process against Republicans and, specifically, President Donald Trump and the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Giessel, a Republican who has turned on her party, said on the Senate floor that the Trump tax cut would mean $880 billion in cuts to the federal budget and that the only place that could come from is Medicaid.
One third of Alaskans are on Medicaid, she noted, warning that Trump and the Republicans from the House of Representatives are preparing to gut the program that pays the medical bills of the poor.
But Giessel was wrong and the budget process in the House has no actual cuts to Medicaid. It simply has a work requirement. Hear House Speaker Mike Johnson describe the work requirement in this clip:
The budget resolution passed by the House does not cut Medicaid or Medicare. However, it does set spending levels for congressional committees, and that includes the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid. The resolution has $2 trillion in federal spending cuts, with $880 billion coming from the Energy and Commerce Committee. House Republicans call for cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.
In Alaska, there is a lot of known waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid. Native health organizations bill Medicaid three times what other providers are allowed to bill, and are setting up clinics and buying up hospitals across the state, competing with existing hospitals, with three times the federal income coming in. It’s a little-discussed racket in Alaska, only whispered about by the health community. In some communities, such as Cordova and Fairbanks, the Native centers have been set up practically across the street from other general care centers, and they are poaching non-Native clients from the existing clinics and hospitals, which allow them to bill three times the usual Medicaid rate. It’s happening all across Alaska, as the Native hospitals have found a profit center in Medicaid.
That issue is not addressed by the current reconciliation process, but many in the Alaska medical community wish it would be.
A recent poll by Rasmussen Reports shows that 71% of voters support reducing growth of Medicaid spending by removing illegal immigrants and requiring able-bodied recipients to work. Fully 88% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats back the proposal.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski also weighed in on the House process:
“I’m glad to see Speaker Johnson definitively rule out per capita caps on Medicaid. One in every three Alaskans is insured through Medicaid, and per capita caps would be devastating to states like Alaska, shifting untenable costs to our state that would inevitably result in loss of coverage,” she wrote, not acknowledging the waste, fraud, and abuse in the program, particularly in Alaska.
Cathy, please stop lying!
Senator Giessel really likes the words “Mr President”. If she honestly believes there is not fraud going in Medicaid, we know much more how she came up with the numbers for a defined benefits program.
Well – Well – WELL(!!!) …
Flushing out those with TDS in our communities!
Open up more bedspace @ AK Physciatric Ward.
Or, put them in tracking ankle bracelets or collars.
Keep an eye on these derelicts // derangements!
Conservatives seem to believe that government benefits should be reserved to the people who have earned them or need them.
Liberals seem to believe that government benefits should be allocated to interest groups and defined by social trends.
Eliminationist Right Wingers seem to believe that government benefits should be dictatated and denied to who they don’t like.
I’m a conservative.
I heard she is changing her name to Cathy Giessel-Murkowski.
Giessel won’t be satisfied until we’re all on Medicaid and faithfully committed to her mental healthcare regimen.
Sounds like she’s almost having a nervious breakdown..someone needs to watch her for medical reasons.
Once we get the illegals out of this country, you’ll see the Medicaid probably go sharply down. that doesn’t account for the various medical situations mentioned above that eat $$$$ from the budget, and the other mendical abuaing their previledges.
Only immigrants who are lawfully present in the US are qualified to receive Medicaid. In other words, illegal immigrants are not eligible.
It’s time to start Grooming someone to run against her. Roger Holland was a great Senator and opponent in her district, he would be the first choice, however maybe has moved on. Please Roger let us know if your interested, so we can start organizing for you.