Advocacy groups warn of dire consequences in Pa. from Medicaid cuts

Several health-advocacy groups have collaborated on a report detailing the hundreds of thousands of chronically ill Pennsylvanians who get health coverage from Medicaid.

They say those people would feel the effects of proposed federal cuts to Medicaid spending.

One piece of President Obama’s deficit-reduction plan includes cuts in the federal money spent on Medicaid.

The left-leaning Families USA health-care consumer group says it’s a bad idea.

The organization has released a report with the help of nonprofits such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society to document the numbers of Pennsylvanians dependent on Medicaid.

Kathleen Stoll of Families USA helped write the report. She says it’s significant so many groups were involved.

“The four groups came together in order to make a strong statement about the importance of Medicaid for people facing conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and chronic lung disease,” she said.

Families USA says states trying to economize on the Medicaid program are able to pay health providers less or reduce the benefits available.

Obama’s plan is to cut federal spending on Medicaid by $70 billion over 10 years.