August Pfluger: “Thank you for joining me today as I bring forth a matter of great concern and shed light on recently proposed regulatory…”

“Thank you for joining me today as I bring forth a matter of great concern and shed light on recently proposed regulatory changes that will severely impact Medicaid programs across the country, including Texas, and have profound consequences on the 90 million Americans who rely on Medicaid to access healthcare. This year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, introduced materials that challenge the statutory language governing States' longstanding methods to fund the non-Federal share of the Medicaid payments. Two documents, in particular, have raised significant concerns: the information bulletin on healthcare-related taxes and hold-harmless arrangements and specific provisions of CMS's proposed rule titled ``Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality.'' The amendment I am proposing to the fiscal year 2024 Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill will protect the safety net in Texas and many other States and ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries continue to receive the essential care by prohibiting Federal funds from being used to finalize, implement, and enforce harmful policies that will severely limit States' ability to draw down critical Federal Medicaid payments. For the most part, I applaud CMS for pushing forward with a comprehensive regulation to overhaul the structure of Medicaid-managed care programs.…”