Rep. Carter discusses Medicaid, drug costs and rural health

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., spoke to AHA Annual Meeting attendees in a fireside chat moderated by Aishah Hasnie, congressional correspondent for Fox News. Carter is chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid and has been tasked to enact $880 billion in budget cuts.

“We want to make sure our goal is to sustain and save and stabilize Medicaid,” Carter said. “What we’re trying to do is to see where we can cut waste, fraud and abuse … so we can stabilize that program and make it sustainable for the most vulnerable in our population.”

Carter also spoke on lowering drug costs by eliminating spread pricing in Medicaid and curbing pharmacy benefit managers, as well as supporting and sustaining rural hospitals.