Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) highlighted the need to protect Medicaid as Congressional Republicans’ budget-related legislation calls for at least $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, a public health insurance program.

"People across our district, our state, and our country rely on Medicaid for essential health care.  The proposed cuts that House Republicans are moving forward are devastating—for patients who have health care coverage through Medicaid and for all patients in a health care system that relies on Medicaid payments,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “The proposed cuts would hurt children, seniors, people with disabilities, and hardworking Americans, reducing the quality and availability of health care services. 

“People may not realize that Medicaid covers 50 percent of births in Texas,” continued Congresswoman Fletcher.  “Cutting Medicaid will block access to care for pregnant women across the state—both Medicaid beneficiaries and others who rely on the funds to keep hospital labor and delivery departments open. 

“The damage cutting Medicaid will cause for women, children, and people across Texas is almost too great to imagine,” concluded Congresswoman Fletcher.  “But if President Trump and Congressional Republicans get their way, this funding for essential health care will be cut to pay for a tax cut for Elon Musk and his billionaire buddies.”

In Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, 32 percent of children rely on Medicaid.  In Texas, 61 percent of people living in nursing homes rely on Medicaid.

In addition to payments for services provided to Medicaid managed care plan enrollees, Texas hospitals received nearly $8.3 billion in Medicaid payments in 2023.  Texas mental health facilities, nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities for people with disabilities received nearly $1.8 billion in Medicaid payments in 2023.

Since her first term in Congress, Congresswoman Fletcher has been a consistent advocate of expanding affordable health care access.  In 2021, she introduced the Expand Medicaid Now Act to incentivize states like Texas to expand Medicaid access.  Her bill was included in the American Rescue Plan Act, which President Biden signed into law.

In February and again last week, she voted against Congressional Republicans’ blueprint to guide Congressional action on budget-related legislation this year that calls for at least $1.5 trillion in government spending cuts, including $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid.  And, during a House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing, she asked an expert witness about the impacts these cuts would have on Texas and in states across the country.