Chuck Grassley: “Congress, 3 weeks ago, passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, and in that bill was a modest, cost-sharing requirement for…”

“Congress, 3 weeks ago, passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, and in that bill was a modest, cost-sharing requirement for able-bodied Medicaid expansion of adults that were making more than 100 percent of poverty. The cost-sharing requirements would not apply to primary, prenatal, pediatric, mental, substance abuse disorder, emergency room care, or care provided by community health centers, certified behavioral health clinics, or rural health clinics. Now, under the One Big Beautiful Bill, this cost sharing that is required for able-bodied Medicaid adults can't exceed $35 per visit, and there is an annual maximum limit of no more than 5 percent of an individual's income. Well, you might ask: Why cost sharing? Having a modest cost sharing ensures consumers have skin in the game and thus, in turn, be responsible healthcare consumers. Adults in Medicare earning between 100 and 133 percent of poverty are most likely to gain health insurance through the Federal marketplace or through an employer, where cost sharing is common. Despite fearmongering about cost-share requirements, establishing modest cost-sharing requirements in Medicaid is not anything brandnew. It has been around for quite a while. So let me give you a little bit of history. The Obama administration approved a half dozen Medicaid waivers, including my home State of Iowa, to establish modest cost sharing for able-bodied Medicaid adults. Congress, in addition, has enabled cost sharing before.”