Ky. lawmakers discuss potential Medicaid changes

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Ky. lawmakers weighed in on potential changes to Medicaid in two events Tuesday.

In February, an adopted budget proposal out of Washington, D.C. included a cut of $1.5 trillion in spending over a 10-year period. It includes a task for the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, to find at least $880 billion in spending cuts over the next decade.

It is a task that has sparked conversation from Washington, D.C. to Frankfort.

In a Tuesday morning Democratic Governors Association Medicaid press call, Gov. Andy Beshear spoke out on the possibility of changes to the federal program.

“This has both a big impact on states but an incredibly important impact on people who need help the most,” said Gov. Beshear.

Gov. Beshear said Medicaid has been a game changer for the commonwealth, and said scaling it back would hurt the state.

“Rural healthcare cannot survive without Medicaid,” he said. “When cuts would go into effect, the impact would be profound.”

Kentucky Sen. President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) and Speaker of the House David Osborne (R-Prospect) attended Commerce Lexington’s Public Policy Luncheon in downtown Lexington Tuesday afternoon.

The two provided their thoughts on the ongoing discussion about Medicaid, including response to the governor’s comments.

“How do you criticize something when you don’t know what it is unless you want to make it a political issue. So, we’re not saying anything one way or another, we’re not prejudging,” said Sen. Stivers.

Sen. Stivers and Rep. Osborne said they have both been in contact with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02), the chair of the committee that oversees Medicaid.

Sen. Stivers and Rep. Osborne said the goal is to effectively and efficiently deliver Medicaid dollars, while prioritizing accountability of taxpayer money. They pushed back on the idea that it would automatically mean there would be cuts to the program.

“It may be something that will be very difficult for us to manage, which then at that point we may be very critical of it, but then at least we know what we’re being critical of, we may be happy with it but the time it comes down,” said Rep. Osborne.

WKYT reached out to Rep. Guthrie’s office, who said they are not making any comment on policy-specific questions that may or may not be included in a final bill. They did say that Rep. Guthrie is working with other Energy and Commerce republicans and other members of the party to deliver on Pres. Donald Trump’s agenda.