Yesterday 9:51 pm
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The House GOP Budget Plan Seeks $880 Billion in CutsMedicaid serves about 1 in 5 Americans. The health care program for low-income people is paid for by the federal government and partly by states. Louisiana, home to Johnson and Scalise, has one of the highest state proportions of Medicaid enrollees.The House Republican budget plan adopted Feb. 25 opens the door to slashing Medicaid, even though it doesn’t name the program. The plan directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to find ways to cut the deficit by at least $880 billion over the next decade.The committee has jurisdiction over Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, in addition to much smaller programs. CHIP offers low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid.Republicans ruled out cuts to Medicare, the health insurance program for seniors that leaders cut at their political peril. Medicare is about 15% of the federal budget, and Medicaid is about 8.6%.When Medicare is set aside, Medicaid accounts for 93% of the funding under the