State Senate Republican leaders are lobbying the Trump administration to rescind Medicaid waivers that expand social services for low-income mothers and children, the homeless, and individuals set to leave incarceration.
The debate over the specific policy, known as a Medicaid Section 1115 waiver, is wrapped up in two broader issues: President Donald Trump’s attempt to drastically downsize federal government, and Pennsylvania Republicans’ budget struggle with Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat.
Under the waiver, children who qualify for Medicaid at any point will be guaranteed to keep it until age six.
“It makes a lot of sense from a health standpoint to have kids continuously enrolled, as well as from the financial standpoint,” said Becky Ludwick, vice president for policy at the PA Partnerships for Children.
“We were disappointed to see the zero-to-six continuous eligibility not be included in the governor’s budget proposal,’ Ludwick said. “At the same time, we know there are significant fiscal challenges facing the state. We recognize that, and we also know what’s going on federally is playing into the calculus of delaying implementation.”