Drew Ferguson: “I thank my colleague from New York for her very candid remarks. As you can see, she touched on many important…”

“I thank my colleague from New York for her very candid remarks. As you can see, she touched on many important issues--the unfairness of the system that we have now, but also the importance of protecting our Medicaid safety net. What we have seen under the Affordable Care Act is that we have seen our safety nets eroded. We are diverting resources away from the people that need them the most--the poor, the elderly, the blind, the disabled, children, and pregnant women--and we are pushing those resources to able-bodied men and women who do have the ability to work. It is important to recognize that our legislation is probably the largest entitlement reform program in a generation. Our legislation puts Medicaid back on a budget for the first time in history. It provides enhanced flexibility to the States to allow them to design effective and financially sound programs to meet their population's unique needs. Our plan also ensures that Medicaid prioritizes care for the most vulnerable, who it was originally intended for. We must do this because there are so many Americans, unfortunately, that have to depend on this safety net for their health care. I understand this. In my hometown, in my dental practice, I treated patients who relied on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage. It was an honor to take care of them and to have very real discussions about their healthcare needs.…”