The battle over health care, a local care provider’s thoughts on Medicaid

It’s a Wednesday afternoon and Shawna Murdoch has a few minutes to set aside after laying down one of her self direction care participants for a nap. 24/7 Murdoch takes care of her two clients: they live with her, she takes them out on activities, and they’re a part of her family- except they’re not related to her.

Murdoch is a part of one of several families in eastern Idaho that runs a self-direction care home. Up to 4 people with disabilities can live in these homes, Murdoch lives with 2 at the time. “We don’t have any benefits, we’re on the ACA,” said Murdoch.

The uncertainty of the future of health care makes Murdoch hungry for change, but one thing is for certain for her: she’d like to see a “full and complete repeal of Obama care,” said Murdoch, who says her insurance payments have increased under the Affordable Care Act. “[it’s been] not good for the middle class,” said Murdoch. As a care provider for people with disabilities, she knows her opinion is unpopular but doesn’t see the new “Trump care” bill as a blow to Medicaid for her clients. “If anything it’s working to get able bodied people off the system to give more resources for the disabled and the elderly,” said Murdoch.

“To me, a cut would mean that they’re taking money away, what this is is that they’re not going to be increasing it,” said Murdoch.

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) introduced this year has created concern for many Americans with pre-existing conditions and others. The full bill can be found here.

One of the biggest concerns of opponents of the bill deals with block grants for Medicaid patients, this is what the bill says:

A state Medicaid program may elect to receive, for any 10-year period beginning no earlier than FY2020, federal funding in block grant form. The bill establishes a formula, using targeted spending caps, for determining the amount of block grant funds. A state plan for administering a block grant shall specify: (1) conditions of eligibility for receiving health care assistance under the block grant; (2) the types, amount, duration, and scope of services to be covered; and (3) methods of delivery and cost-sharing with respect to covered services. Such a plan must: (1) provide for eligibility of specified children and pregnant women; and (2) offer assistance for hospital care, surgical care, medical care, obstetrical and prenatal care, prescribed drugs and prosthetic devices, other medical supplies, and pediatric care.

On Monday, dozens of people gathered in downtown Idaho Falls for a rally on Medicaid. The message many of the attendees spread was for lawmakers in Washington to vote no on the AHCA. According to “Close the Gap Idaho” health coverage would be stripped away from 23 million Americans and more than 134,000 people in Idaho under the bill.

Under the current Medicaid program, there is guaranteed coverage with no waiting list or caps. Close the Gap also cites that members of Congress want to make massive changes with block grants for the Medicaid program- which could cap federal funding.

As of now, the senate has not offered a timeline on when a solution will come to fruition on health care.