Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are working through the weekend on a reconciliation bill that includes massive cuts to Medicaid. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-2^nd District) discusses how those cuts could impact health care in Connecticut.

Mike Hydeck: As the federal budget process continues in Washington, DC, the Trump administration is looking for $1.5 trillion in cuts they say will help make the government more efficient. So far, between buyouts and cuts, 120,000 jobs have been eliminated in the federal workforce, according to The New York Times. Rooting out waste and fraud is part of the goal of the administration, as well. This week, Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, unveiled a draft of his budget, which includes things like cuts to Medicaid and changes to SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps. Congressman Joe Courtney spoke out about this on the House floor this week, he joins me now. Welcome back, Congressman. You said the speaker needs to go back to the drawing board. Why?

Joe Courtney: Because I think if he listened to the entire hospital sector of our country, from coast to coast, who have taken a look at this proposal and have unanimously denounced it in terms of the damage it’s going to do to the finances of our health care sector and again, we’re talking to Catholic hospitals, children’s hospitals, the larger umbrella group, the American Hospital Association. You know, they realize that if you take $800 billion out of the Medicaid system, which is what this measure proposes to do, it is going to again, put a lot of these facilities on even shakier ground than they are today, cripple their ability to hire more nurses and staff, which is really, you know, something they’re all desperately trying to achieve. Patient groups have also now risen up, whether it’s the American Cancer Society or Alzheimer’s Association, the disabilities community, you know for whom Medicaid really is a life blood sort of system in terms of making sure that people get essential care. Medicaid is again, different than Medicare, different than private health insurance. It’s not awash in cash. I mean, you talk to any doctor or physician out there, the rates that are paid through Medicaid are bare bones, but it does keep people connected to health care coverage. And the Congressional Budget Office weighed in and basically determined, if this measure was to come into law, that basically 8.6 million Americans would lose their health insurance. On top of that, the you know, exchange, you know, Obamacare premium subsidies, which are also hitting a cliff pretty soon, none of those subsidies were extended in the bill. That would add another 6 million people who would lose their their health coverage. So this is not the direction that I think anybody reasonable, reasonably wants to see this country to go.

Mike Hydeck: Among the other things in this plan, Republicans want to have work rep work requirements. Meaning, if you get SNAP benefits or Medicare and Medicaid, you should be required to work a certain number of hours. What’s your position on that? They’ve been talking about this for a while, by the way.

Joe Courtney: Yeah. So I mean, if you look at the Medicaid program, if you take out people who are on social security and in nursing homes, which I think you know, that’s actually where the real money goes in the Medicaid program. The people who are covered by it are roughly, according to Sean Scanlon, it’s roughly about 75 to 80% are working in the system as it is. And that you know, again, means that really you’re, you’re dealing with people, probably with disabilities, who are not connected to the workforce. What we do know is this program, of, you know, so called work requirements, is going to create extra red tape in terms of administering the program. We know that because Georgia and Arkansas tried to do this, and it was a bust, you know, in terms of just, you know, really the amount of time that was consumed versus whatever return on investment. So, you know, people are going to, people are going to drop off the rolls. The issue of whether or not people on Medicaid are actually working, I think the numbers don’t lie. I mean, it’s not a program for people who are just sitting around playing video games like Speaker Johnson alleged the other day, which really was a, in my opinion, a disgraceful comment.

Mike Hydeck: So as we know, fraud in these programs has been an issue. There’s big cases in Florida. Throughout the country as well. In fact, this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that insurance company United Healthcare is being investigated by the Justice Department for overbilling. Can fraud be found in the system overall, in your opinion?

Joe Courtney: Absolutely. But if you really talk to people who are doing investigations for Medicaid fraud, there’s a whole unit in government in Connecticut that does this. It’s really, the most of the fraud, almost all of it, is in the provider side of the equation, where people, again, are gaming the billing system who are providers. You know, like is being alleged with United Healthcare. So you know, by all means, that effort should be sustained and expanded to make sure that nobody’s gaming the system. But in terms of beneficiaries, people who are recipients, the fraud numbers are tiny, and the value, or the the return on investment, is minuscule, as opposed to rip off artists who are basically running Medicaid mills, as they call them, that you know, that’s where the real fraud money is.

Mike Hydeck: Congressman Courtney, we have to leave it there. I have quite a few more questions. Hopefully we can have you back. We appreciate your time.

Joe Courtney: Happy to do so. Thanks, Mike.