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Trump Targets Poor, Low-Income Medicaid Recipients with Restrictions

National Council of Jewish Women
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Trump Targets Poor, Low-Income Medicaid Recipients with Restrictions

January 11, 2018, Washington, DC – The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today labeled the restrictions on Medicaid proposed by President Trump as both unfair and counterproductive. NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman released the following statement:

“The move by the Trump Administration to make it more difficult for those who need subsidized and free health care turns health care from a human right into a political football. By imposing ‘work requirements’ on Medicaid recipients, Trump is targeting those whose lives are most precarious with gratuitous bureaucratic hurdles that will diminish the reach of public health care. Without easy access to needed preventive care and medical treatment, we will be back in the pre-Obamacare era.  We do not want to return to a scenario where those struggling due to a multitude of social and economic barriers end up relying on emergency rooms for urgent or primary care instead of a family doctor, and rural and inner city clinics and hospitals are starved for funds.“

Somehow when it comes to eliminating incentives to work for the very rich by handing them millions of dollars free of inheritance taxes, the Trump Administration and its allies on Congress never worry about creeping sloth in the billionaire class. But when those earning an inadequate minimum wage in a an era of growing inequality seek help to maintain basic health, the moral scolds insist that moral ruin awaits those who get health care for free. This could threaten the health care of women who gained coverage under Medicaid expansion, who provide home care for ill family members, and who have chronic illness. Further, the guidelines could increase burdens for those who face other barriers to work like transportation, housing, and education. We know that the people this hurts most are women of color and their families.

“NCJW believes that health care is a human right and that our ultimate goal must be quality, affordable health care for all, which requires a strong government role. Increasing requirements and narrowing eligibility is not a path toward universal care.”

The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. More information on Facebook and on Twitter at @NCJW.

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