The US health care system will be subject to some cuts. Several federal health programs could face budget cuts as the new administration seeks to reduce inflation and debt. The reduction in funding will impact the entire health system in the country, especially children, seniors, rural areas and low-income families.
Medicare programs, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIPS) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could be the hardest hit, impacting communities as these programs serve more than 85 million people in the United States, experts said during a briefing by Ethnic Media Services.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides medical services and supports medical expenses for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers general benefits that Medicare does not cover, such as nursing home care services and personal care.
Nearly half of children in the United States are covered by Medicaid. As for births, 40 to 50 percent, depending on the location, are covered by the program. In rural areas, this medical service is essential because they practically depend on it, said Joan Alker, executive director of the center for children and families.
"If major budget cuts are made, this will impact the entire health system in the country.", said Joan Alker, also a research professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.
Alker explained that if the budget cuts were to be applied, states would have some flexibility to adjust. These flexibility measures refer to some obstacles to providing services to people, more complex procedures to have fewer subscribers, benefits may be limited, and there will be fewer providers for rural or low-income areas.
"This adjustment will impact older people, disabled people, low-income people, rural areas, all of these will be the most affected.", Alker added.
Mayra Álvarez, president of Children's Partnership, said that all children have the right to a healthy life, a strong family and a dignified life, so health services are essential for families.
In the United States, more than 5 million children live with at least one undocumented parent. In California alone, there are 9 million children, 3 out of 4 of whom are black and half of whom have at least one immigrant parent, Alvarez explained.
In this regard, she added that there is also concern about support for families in the area of nutrition, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is a great support for families, since it is expected that they will have difficulties in enrolling or continuing, which would be a great blow to the family economy now that food prices have increased by 24 percent.
"The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is very necessary for people without access to food, since 78 percent of families are living paycheck to paycheck. In the case of children, we have seen that children with access to food have better academic performance," said Alvarez.
Richard Kogan, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, explained that no president has ever had the authority to seize funds enacted by Congress.
“The U.S. Constitution does not allow the president to seize funds, instead Congress decides what to spend the money on and how much, so the president's job is to make sure the laws are faithfully followed.”", he expressed Kogan.
Experts agreed that medical services should be a priority for the government, since having healthy families allows for a healthier and more productive country, so it is hoped that budget cuts will not end medical services for those vulnerable families who depend on them.
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