OP-ED: Quinton Law – Here Are Facts About Proposed Medicaid Cuts
Photo from FRNJ Files courtesy of Quinton Law.
BY QUINTON LAW | American Cancer Society
With Congress poised to cut upwards of $793 billion from Medicaid, there has unsurprisingly been a lot of conversation and confusion around what these cuts will mean, what form they will take and who will be impacted.
Over the course of these discussions, much misinformation has been spread. As someone who grew up with Medicaid coverage in New Jersey and now advocates for cancer patients across the state, I know firsthand what’s at stake and want to set the record straight.
Earlier this month, I spoke with Congressman Jeff Van Drew at an Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce event. Back in May, he had voted “yes” on a proposal that includes the largest cut to Medicaid in our nation’s history.
When questioned, he shared a perspective that downplayed the real impact—one that doesn’t align with what families on the ground are living every day.
Later this summer, Congressman Van Drew and his colleagues in the House of Representatives will have another opportunity—this time final—to protect Medicaid. It’s critical they understand the stakes.
Here’s what they need to know:
FACT: Millions of eligible Americans will lose their coverage, including those presently eligible.
Medicaid covers essential care for nearly two million New Jerseyans who cannot afford health insurance on their own and aren’t offered coverage through their job. These are working families, veterans, seniors and people who show up every day, even as the cost of living rises and wages stay the same. Medicaid offers them the stability to care for their health while they work to build a better life. If Congress takes that away, we’ll see more people getting sick, fewer young people getting ahead and communities that are less healthy as a whole.
FACT: The proposed funding cuts and structural changes to Medicaid will put coverage and access at risk for everyone including cancer patients, children, seniors, the disabled, pregnant women and working families. There is simply no way to cut upwards of $793 billion from Medicaid without cutting critical health care services for these groups.
Here in New Jersey, we’ve yet to certify a state budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Regardless of how that budget is finalized, we simply don’t have the funding to make up for the shortfall that will result from the massive cuts being proposed at the federal level. If there is not enough funding, people will lose their coverage, and everyone is at risk of this regardless of age, disability or employment status.
The latest CBO score on this bill makes this clear, citing nearly 11 million people nationwide will become uninsured. And our Medicaid program may also cut services for the people that are able to stay enrolled, as well as be forced to charge cost-sharing for cancer services that enrollees can’t afford, and providers will be challenged to collect. Congress is rushing this decision and not taking adequate steps to preserve coverage for the constituents they’ve vowed to protect.
FACT: The proposed changes extend beyond Medicaid, raising costs for Marketplace and private plan enrollees.
In addition to gutting Medicaid, the reconciliation bill weakens protections in the state and private insurance market. It shortens the time people have to enroll in coverage, changes how out-of-pocket costs are calculated, and removes subsidies that help families afford premiums and deductibles. These changes will push coverage out of reach for middle-class families and small business owners who depend on Marketplace plans. No one is spared from the fallout of this legislation, not even those with “good” insurance today.
Not only will this reconciliation bill cost New Jerseyans’ their care—and in some cases, their lives—it will overwhelm hospitals, drain Medicaid resources and drive up costs for everyone. Fortunately, Congressman Van Drew and his colleagues in Congress have another chance to stop this bill.
The facts are clear, and the stakes are high. Now is the time to act. Congress must reject this bill and protect New Jerseyans’ access to health care.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Quinton Law is the government relations director for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network and is the current mayor of Moorestown. He is also a former staffer of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
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