Frank Pallone: “Mr. Speaker, it is shamelessly bold for Republicans to bring a bill to the floor called the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act.…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is shamelessly bold for Republicans to bring a bill to the floor called the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act. That is today's Republican Party. They simply lack any shame. They say that they are doing no harm to Medicaid when their big, ugly bill earlier this year cut nearly $1 trillion from the Medicaid program. That is a huge cut that will leave millions of low-income families without any health coverage at all. We already see the devastating effects of their big, ugly bill. States, which are already facing budget shortfalls, stare down a reduction of as much as 20 percent of their Federal Medicaid funding. They are being left with an impossible challenge. We are seeing across-the-board cuts that are crippling hospitals, maternity units, home care providers, and clinics. We are seeing healthcare providers close their doors and cut their services. We are seeing States scale back benefits, leaving those who are able to keep their Medicaid coverage with less of the healthcare that they need. Now, even with all of that, Republicans have the audacity to bring a bill to the floor that they claim is about doing no harm in Medicaid. That is not what this is about. H.R. 498 is an extreme attack on medically necessary healthcare for children.”