The Senate Republican Caucus issued the following statement regarding Medicaid services.
“This afternoon the Edwards administration outlined their plans to notify some 37,000 elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients that certain healthcare services they now receive may end July 1, 2018 because of a lack of state funding. The Senate Republican Caucus believes such a move is very premature.”
“For the last three months the members of the Senate Finance Committee have been pouring over the budget. Make no mistake, the situation is dire. There is just not enough money to go around. However we in the Senate have no intention of putting Medicaid recipients on the streets or closing down medical schools. It is imperative that we approach the budget issues in a responsible and measured fashion to make sure that we continue to make it a priority to serve the needs of our poor, elderly and disabled citizens. It is our intention to fund these vital Medicaid services.”
“The Senate Finance Committee intends on passing out a budget by the end of this week with the full Senate considering the budget outlining Senate priorities with the limited funds available early next week. The hope is to then begin work with the House to find a way forward with a budget that will be acceptable to all.”