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!
She only knows tax and spend like all Marxist. The playbook Lie, Divide, Spend, and tax. Yet she keeps getting GOP support and votes.
She has gone over to the dark side where truth has no meaning and any means are justified by the end goal. Power and control.
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.
Sorry, but you are a liberal. You miss out on the fact there are zero cuts to Medicaid or Social security. And Welfare needs to be totally eliminated so we can stop future generations of lazy people.
I heard she is changing her name to Cathy Giessel-Murkowski.
LMAO
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.
Unless you live in California, then all bets are off and federal law means nothing. I am certain that illegal aliens are also benefiting from other largess like food stamps and housing assistance. Ask New York how much money they have spent housing, feeding and medical care for illegals in the last few years.
I asked this question of Catholic Social Services here in Anchorage many years ago. The answer was an uncomfortable silence and change of subject.
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.
Hear, hear! Giessel is a weasel.
I think he moved to somewhere in the US southeast after losing to Giessel.
Working age people, get to work, or go to jail, where you belong. Worthless leaches.
It makes me wonder how much Giessel is profiting from government excess.
When a third of the state population is on medicaid, you know it is a racket, not a medical supply issue.
Wow your photo editor sure knows how to flatter people you don’t like.
Whidbey,
When even you can’t defend the good Senator Giessel it speaks volumes.
The subject of the photodoesn’t leave much to work with
Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will all be on the chopping block- it’s the only option if you want a 2 trillion dollar cut. A good start would be eliminating Medicare Advantage plans which cost us more than traditional Medicare with no added benefit.
By the way, most working age people on Medicaid already work and illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid so imposing those rules won’t move the needle. Johnson knows that. Can Medicaid be tightened up? Certainly. Oh, but wait, the people who go after fraud, waste and abuse are being fired, so scrap that idea.
“… illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid so imposing those rules won’t move the needle”
Jean sadly California disregarded federal law and expanded Medi-Cal(California’s application of Medicaid) to include 1.5 million illegal aliens at a cost of $6.4 BILLION for (as far as I can tell)a 90% matching by the federal government for individuals brought in under an expansion (Thank you Obama Care) That’s not nothing.
There are auditors for medicaid, who to my knowledge work for the state they live in and would not be affected by the cuts.
It should be pointed out that Bill Clinton in 1996 signed the Welfare Reform Act with a work requirement for recipients and a five year LIFETIME benefit limit…..just saying
The people who were in charge of enabling the fraud have been fired.
Fixed it for you
Lisa, Cathy, Bernadette, all pease in a pod, operatives posing as conservatives!
None have the courage to actually put their lives on the line for their country, none!
Has Kathy had to take a cognitive test? Anger and stupidity is a sure sign of early dementia. She needs to be racalled.
Why do we not charge premiums for Medicaid like Medicare? Maybe less, but something. Or copays perhaps. Instead people with Medicare or private insurance pay for their health insurance/costs and have to pay for all the Medicaid costs too via taxation. Or maybe convert Medicaid to catastrophic coverage only?
Medicaid does require minimal co-pays. It is illegal for the doctor not to charge them.
That picture says a thousand words – much like a picture of Princess scowling . Run Forest Run!
Native Health Organizations are being used to almost like decimate Indigenous populations, like how Bill Gates helped to do in South Africa with that so called vac that sterilizes and kills the Indigenous population.
A woman in a village once said , “ Since the shots first hit the village, many are suddenly dying, yet no one says anything . “
Ah, Cathy Giessel, she of the selective memory.
Wasn’t it Bill Walker, whom she championed and campaigned for, who expanded Medicaid over vigorous objections from all sides?? The state could not afford it then or now.
Medicaid was designed as a TEMPORARY program for individuals not the lifelong healthcare provider, it morphed into. I support making able bodied individuals work at least part-time to receive benefits. Did not Bill Clinton sign the Welfare Reform act in 1996, which had a work component and a 5 year lifetime limit on benefits?
She is starting to sound like dementia Joe maybe she should see a doctor.
We see native health corps building big beautiful buildings all over the place especially Anchorage but service in the outlying areas is very poor. The services offered in say Bethel, Dillingham, and Kenai are very limited along with other areas of the state. Lots of money is poured into these outlying areas with CEO’s on down receiving very high wages. The value of services doesn’t compute. There are a lot of plane tickets that could be avoided if some of the services were brought back to the smaller communities which actually see people dying for the lack of care. Almost everything requires a trip to Anchorage for the patient plus an escort when needed which often includes the cost of an air ambulance service. Figure in room and board on top of all of that in a system which is often misused for a mini vacation or shopping trip. A lot could be done to provide better care for Alaska’s First People and the others who live away from the mess of Anchorage!
Speaker Johnson is absolutely right. Medicaid should be for single moms with children! It is imperative to flush out the fraud and corruption in Medicaid and Medicare in order to keep these vital programs solvent. Who knows, we may actually be able to improve these entities once we remove the deadwood!
The old woman has gone completely psycho, thinking that her new found credibility with the left will get her elected to governor. She’s a screamer and a screecher if she doesn’t get her way. Why I left her decades ago.
I honestly believe that she is deranged. This is not the same woman who first ran and won a seat in 2010 while identifying with Tea Party ideas. Something snapped in her psyche a while back and now, along with Kopp, she supports ludicrous, leftist ideas.
I agree. She is out of her gord. Constantly spreading false information. It’s either that or it’s smoke and mirrors trying to draw attention off.
Murkowski states 1/3 of Alaskans are on medical welfare like that is okay. It isn’t okay and that is exactly the point of work requirements. If people get a decent job, they don’t need welfare, medicaid or SNAP. In return they exert some control over their own lives and have a chance at vacations and a dignified retirement.
A third of Alaska’s population is on Medicaid? Not an encouraging statistic. If Medicaid is for single women with children, how many deadbeat dads are out there who could pay for health insurance? And what is the state doing about it? I know of cases where the answer is- nothing.
Same for child support.
Who left the door open to let her back in?
Seeing Cathy Giessel do and say these things is like watching those slo-mo YouTube videos of airplanes crashing. It takes awhile for the disaster to strike and the explosion to take place, but you know it’s going to happen. Doesn’t make it any easier to watch. Please, Cathy, seek professional help. You are very much like Lisa: you’re coming unglued in a very public and undignified manner.
Native health care services shifted over to Medicaid, thus the 1-3 Alaskans on it. That seed was planted under Obama. The gift that keeps on giving. Perhaps the native corporations should provide health insurance for their own people.
“Clutches Pearls” is a sure sign giveaway the author has nothing of substance to say.
Scamalot, after reading your comment I went back and watched the attached clip of Nurse Diesel deliver her grandstanding performance. Listening to the Senator from South Anchorage caused me to feel nauseated. I commend Suzanne for her iron clad stomach and diligence in reporting the sickening developments unfolding in the Senate Chamber.
The sad fact is thatthere is a huge amount of medicare and medicaid fraud. I received an automatic notice that my care had been approved and fully covered. I owed no additinal monies. The problem is that I had received no care and the provider was on the east coast. A friend received a similar notice. I contacted medicare to tell them it was fraud and they were appreciative. How much of this goes through as folks don’t complain if they aren’t being asked to pay anything.
BRING ON THE AUDITS !!!!
Old age and wisdom do not always travel together.
Sometimes old age travels alone.
Trump has stated ad nauseum that he has NO plans to touch Medicare or Medicaid. He did say that he will check for waste or fraud. Giessel either willfully ignores those public statements by Trump or is taking up the tedious and disingenuous democrat talking points to scare people. Get smarter, Cathy! This ain’t working too well for you.
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