Chuck Grassley: “Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee is taking up--or maybe has already taken up--consideration of a bill, H.R.…”

“Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee is taking up--or maybe has already taken up--consideration of a bill, H.R. 5613. This bill seeks to place a moratorium on seven Medicaid regulations until the next administration. I know some people have concerns, because I have discussed those concerns, with these CMS Medicaid regulations. So let me be very clear that I am not unsympathetic with those concerns. I am not here to argue the regulations put forth by the administration are perfect. I have issues with some of them that I wish to see addressed. However, the regulations do address areas where there are real problems with Medicaid. CMS is taking care of those problems, and we ought to let them move forward instead of delaying all of these Medicaid regulations at once. As everyone knows, Medicaid is a Federal-State partnership that provides a crucial health care safety net for some very vulnerable populations, people whom we all agree we have a social responsibility to look out for--low-income seniors, the disabled, pregnant women, and children. These classes of people depend on Medicaid, and it does generally serve them well. Medicaid is also a program with a checkered history of financial challenges that we, as fiscal conservatives--and we all brag about fiscal conservatism--ought to be concerned about, these financial challenges coming from Medicaid, sometimes not being administered the way it should be.”