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Trump hosts UK prime minister at White House for critical talks on Ukraine; Low marks for NC Congress members in 2024 conservation scorecard; Why carbon offsets often don't work, explained; Ohio regional transit group plans shift to 'green' hydrogen for bus fleet; 'Egg-citing' ID bill lowers barriers for raising backyard chickens.

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Senate Republicans say they'll change the House's budget resolution. Trump questions whether he called the Ukrainian president a 'dictator' ahead of his White House visit, and environmental groups question EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's call for deregulation.

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The federal funding freeze has left U.S. farmers in limbo about their future farm projects, tourists could find public lands in disarray when visiting this summer, while money to fight rural wildfires is in jeopardy.

Proposed Medicaid cuts could leave Florida’s most vulnerable without care

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Friday, January 31, 2025   

Florida residents who depend on Medicaid said they fear for their futures as lawmakers consider $2.3 trillion in federal cuts, which could force states to reduce services, cut eligibility or lower provider payments.

The proposal, first reported by Politico, has drawn opposition from health advocates who said the reductions would hit hardest among children, seniors and people with disabilities.

During a news conference organized by the Florida Policy Institute, Virginia, a Medicaid recipient in Alachua County, shared how the program has given her independence despite living with a disability.

"If Congress was to cut Medicaid or government was to cut Medicaid. I don't know how I would live," she said. "I have no family to go to. Both my parents are low-income housing. My father is pretty much disabled. He cannot help me at all. My mother is not in the picture."

The potential cuts include $9.8 billion in per capita reductions to cap how much funding Florida could receive. Proponents have suggested reducing federal Medicaid funding would compel states to make more prudent decisions regarding their health care budgets.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, warned these cuts would leave states with difficult choices.

"Cuts of this magnitude would force states to make very painful choices about cutting services, cutting benefits, reducing payments to providers, cutting eligibility," she said.

For the Rev. Latifah Griffin, whose 10-year-old son has cerebral palsy, Medicaid makes it possible for him to access specialized care, mobility devices and a pediatric extended care facility.

"I would literally struggle to take care of him," Griffin said. "I would likely need to quit my job because I would need to stay home due to being able, unable to afford the services for him without Medicaid. Then, I too will become a burden on an already broken system."

Medicaid serves 2.4 million Floridians, covering two of every five children in the state. A nationwide outage in government payment processing systems temporarily froze Medicaid funding to states, causing widespread confusion. The crisis followed President Donald Trump's recent executive orders, which briefly paused federal spending on various programs, excluding Medicare and Social Security.

Disclosure: The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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