ICYMI: 36 Physician and Patient Groups Oppose Speaker McCarthy's Bill Threatening Health Care for Millions

Today, 30 patient organizations and 6 leading physician groups came out in firm opposition to Speaker McCarthy's legislation to change Medicaid by mandating bureaucratic work reporting requirements— which the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association and other physician groups —say would "not improve employment rates, but can lead to higher program administrative costs for states, increased medical debt for patients, and barriers to care."

The patient organizations—including the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, March of Dimes, and Susan G. Komen—urged Congress to reject this bill, saying "To be clear: these requirements are not about work, they are about paperwork, and otherwise-eligible patients will lose coverage when they get caught up in this bureaucratic red tape." Additionally, this legislation would have "particularly devastating consequences for patients with serious, acute and chronic illnesses."

They join 161 aging and disability organizations, which recently came out in opposition to the Medicaid work reporting requirements found in Speaker McCarthy's bill calling them "ineffective and unfairly punitive."

Read the full statements below:

America's Leading Physician Groups Oppose Medicaid Work Requirements
Washington, D.C. (April 24, 2023) – Our organizations, representing nearly 600,000 physicians and medical students, firmly oppose any legislation seeking to implement Medicaid work requirements. Mandating work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries does not promote the objectives of the Medicaid program. The experiences of states that have previously implemented work requirements have demonstrated that work requirements do not improve employment rates, but can lead to higher program administrative costs for states, increased medical debt for patients, and barriers to care. Our organizations have a long history of supporting evidence-based policies that promote access to affordable health care and standing against those that impose burdensome, unsubstantiated Medicaid eligibility restrictions and would likely result in massive coverage losses for beneficiaries. Any proposals to impose punitive requirements run counter to the core tenets of Medicaid and our responsibility as physicians: improving equitable access to high quality health care.

American Lung Organization: 30 Patient Organizations Oppose Legislation Threatening Healthcare for Millions of Patients
This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider legislation that would add so-called "work requirements" to the Medicaid program. Due to the disastrous impact this would have on access to Medicaid, which provides coverage for almost a hundred million individuals, 30 patient advocacy organizations released the following statement, urging lawmakers to vote no:

"Our organizations strongly oppose legislation adding a work, or community engagement, requirement policy to the Medicaid program. This legislation is a clear attack on access to quality and affordable healthcare with particularly devastating consequences for patients with serious, acute and chronic illnesses. We urge Congress to reject this bill.

"To be clear: these requirements are not about work, they are about paperwork, and otherwise-eligible patients will lose coverage when they get caught up in this bureaucratic red tape. In 2018, Arkansas imposed this paperwork requirement on people enrolled in Medicaid. Before a federal court halted the state's efforts, more than 18,000 individuals who were otherwise eligible for Medicaid lost their healthcare in just seven months due to onerous paperwork requirements and additional bureaucracy. The coverage losses would be even more severe on a national scale, applying to individuals enrolled in both traditional Medicaid and Medicaid expansion.

"The 'exemptions' in this legislation are wholly insufficient to protect patients. The criteria in the House legislation are even narrower and more extreme than those used in Arkansas: more older adults are included and people who are medically frail would need a medical professional to verify an exemption. The intricacies of deciding who is and is not able to work is outside of the scope of most medical providers and can be very complex decisions. Additionally, exemption processes inherently create opportunities for administrative errors that jeopardize patients' access to care. No exemption criteria can circumvent this problem and the serious risk to the coverage and health of the people we represent.

"The House legislation impacts all Medicaid eligibility groups and places an enormous administrative burden on state Medicaid programs at a time when they are already restarting redeterminations for the first time since 2020. By eliminating the federal match for individuals not in compliance, the legislation leaves no doubt that states would take away coverage from millions of individuals and result in significantly worsened health outcomes.

"Our organizations strongly oppose this bill due to the devastating impact it would have on health coverage and urge members to vote no on this and any other legislation that jeopardizes access to Medicaid.

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American Kidney Fund
American Lung Association
ALS Association
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Cancer Support Community
CancerCare
Chronic Disease Coalition
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Epilepsy Foundation
Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
Hemophilia Federation of America
Lupus Foundation of America
March of Dimes
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Eczema Association
National Health Council
National Hemophilia Foundation
National Kidney Foundation
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Disorders
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Psoriasis Foundation
Pulmonary Hypertension Association`
Susan G. Komen
The AIDS Institute
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
WomenHeart