AHA letter in WSJ responds to editorial on Medicaid

The Wall Street Journal today published online a letter to the editor from AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack responding to a recent editorial, “The Medicaid Scare Campaign.”

“You suggest that the GOP’s bill is ‘unlikely to cause many Americans to lose Medicaid coverage,’” Pollack writes. “But that’s at odds with the Congressional Budget Office, which found that 7.6 million people could become uninsured. That’s because while most working-age Medicaid enrollees are employed, they lack access to employer insurance or other affordable private coverage. The big, beautiful bill wouldn’t fill those gaps.

“Those displaced from coverage often put off care, ultimately turning to their local hospital. This affects everyone, not only those relying on Medicaid, leading to overcrowded emergency departments, longer wait times and increased costs for care, which acts as a ‘hidden tax’ on all.

“Moreover, suggesting Medicaid hasn’t improved outcomes ignores evidence that it significantly reduced mortality and reduced the prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated depression, among other positive findings. The program is the largest payer of behavioral healthcare in the country and, in 2019 alone, spent more than $75 billion on it.

“Opportunities exist to improve Medicaid, but we shouldn’t neglect the real costs the House bill would have on care.”

The letter is expected to run in the print edition of the newspaper June 3.