West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice (R) says he’s a “no” on the modification proposed by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to cease able-bodied adults with out dependent kids from receiving the 9-to-1 federal Medicaid matching share, a proposal that would cut back federal Medicaid spending by a further $313 billion on prime of what’s already within the GOP megabill.
Justice mentioned he’s apprehensive about political repercussions if Republicans go a lot additional in reducing Medicaid spending — revealing that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) isn’t the one Republican senator apprehensive that Medicaid cuts may boomerang politically on the get together.
“We got in a situation where really our hospitals were really worried,” he mentioned. “Numerous of us right here don’t know what a rural hospital actually is, however I do know. And I do know that in West Virginia, if we don’t be careful, you might very properly lose a bunch of rural hospitals.”
“It just seems like we’ve taken it as far as I’m comfortable taking it,” he mentioned of Medicaid spending cuts.
“And now we’re taking it to another level,” he mentioned of Scott’s proposal to bar new enrollees into Medicaid in states that expanded this system from getting the beneficiant 90-percent federal match.
“Here’s the thing I’m the most concerned about and that is I am hung up on keeping our majorities,” he mentioned.
“At the end of all this, there is a name or a family, you know. And if you don’t watch out, you’re going to alienate them, and when you alienate them, we’re going to go right back to the minority,” he warned.
Dwell updates: GOP stalls for time in vote-a-rama whereas awaiting key ruling on Trump megabill
The Senate will vote on the modification as a part of its vote-a-rama, which is in its twelfth hour.
Scott has expressed confidence that his modification will move, however Justice’s choice to vote “no” strikes a big blow to its probabilities of being adopted to President Trump’s One Large Lovely Invoice Act.
