Senate Dems pledge to fight big Medicaid cuts

Meanwhile, a left-leaning advocacy group released a report on how GOP budget plans to change the program would impact New Hampshire -- a clear step designed to bring Medicaid into the realm of presidential politics.

Politico: Senate Democrats Tell Barack Obama To Reject Big Medicaid Cuts
Forty-one Senate Democrats are urging President Barack Obama to reject GOP proposals to dramatically change Medicaid, marking the party's strongest defense yet of the federal-state health care program. The clear message: Medicaid block grants or other caps on federal Medicaid spending cannot get through the Senate (Millman and Haberkorn, 6/9).

Modern Healthcare: Dems Say They Can Thwart Medicaid Changes
Senate Democrats said this week that they have enough votes to block any major changes to Medicaid as part of deficit-reduction talks. Forty-one Democratic senators—enough to filibuster changes—have written the White House to oppose transforming Medicaid into a state block-grant program or instituting overall spending caps (Daly, 6/9). 

Politico Pro: Families USA Wants Medicaid In The Spotlight
Hoping to make the House Republican Medicaid proposal an issue in the presidential race, a liberal-leaning health care advocacy group is issuing a detailed report on what the proposal could mean for New Hampshire residents. Families USA, a prominent supporter of the health law, plans to release the report Friday to pressure Republican candidates to take a position during Monday's debate on the Medicaid provisions in the House budget (Haberkorn, 6/10). 

Chicago Sun-Times: Toni Prewinkle: Congressional Republicans' Plan To Transform Medicaid Would Mean Longer Waits For Colonoscopies And Prostate Exams
Congressional Republicans' plan to transform Medicaid would cost Cook County $70 million and mean longer waits for colonoscopies and prostate exams, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle told congressmen here Thursday. Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan says Medicaid is headed toward insolvency, so his plan would give states a fixed amount and make them more closely administer it. Half of Medicaid's patients are children and the program pays for 65 percent of all nursing home residents in the Chicago area. Without Medicaid, it's not clear whether those seniors would be able to stay in nursing homes, according to a study released Thursday by Democratic members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce (Pallasch, 6/9).