How the GOP can Finally Win

June 15, 2025

Medicaid How The GOP Can Finally Win The Debate

Medicaid’s Problems in Connecticut

Medicaid is meant to help low-income folks, like kids, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and the elderly. In Connecticut, it covers many of these groups, but it also includes some working-age adults who might not need it as much. The federal government pays 90% of the cost for these adults, compared to about 50% for others. This means states like Connecticut get more money to cover single, able-bodied adults than for vulnerable kids or seniors. That doesn’t seem fair to many people.

Also, Medicaid spends a lot—over $850 billion a year nationwide, with Connecticut getting about $4 billion from the feds. But there’s waste. Some estimates say $543 billion was spent wrongly across the U.S. over nine years, including payments for people who shouldn’t be on the program. In Connecticut, we want every dollar to go to those who truly need it.

What Republicans Are Suggesting

Republicans want to save money by focusing Medicaid on its original purpose: helping the most vulnerable. Their ideas include:

• Work Requirements: They think able-bodied adults should work or look for a job to stay on Medicaid. A poll shows 62% of Americans, including many in Connecticut, like this idea. It could free up funds for kids and seniors.
• Stopping Fraud: They want to make it easier for states like Connecticut to check if people qualify for Medicaid. Right now, some rules make it hard to remove ineligible people, wasting money.
• Fixing Funding: They might lower the 90% federal payment for working-age adults to match the 50% for others. This could save billions but might mean Connecticut has to pay more or cover fewer people.

Why This Matters to Connecticut

Connecticut relies on Medicaid to support rural hospitals, nursing homes, and community clinics. If federal funding drops, our state might have to cut benefits, raise taxes, or find other ways to pay. Some worry this could hurt kids or seniors who depend on Medicaid. But others say reforms could make the program stronger by cutting waste and focusing on those who need it most.

Republicans say they’re not cutting benefits for vulnerable people—just targeting waste and misuse. For example, they point out that some states, like California, use Medicaid to cover undocumented immigrants, which they think is wrong. Connecticut doesn’t do this, but the debate still affects how our federal dollars are spent.

How Republicans Can Win Your Support

Connecticut voters care about fairness and healthcare. Republicans need to be honest about their plans. They should say:

• They’ll protect Medicaid for kids, seniors, and people with disabilities.
• They’ll stop waste so your tax dollars help those who need it.
• Work requirements are about fairness, not punishing people.

If they explain this clearly, they could convince many in Connecticut that their reforms make sense. But if they stay quiet, Democrats might scare voters by saying Republicans want to “gut” Medicaid. That’s already happening, with ads claiming cuts will close hospitals.

What’s Next?

Congress is working on a big bill that could include these Medicaid changes. It’s tied to tax cuts and other priorities, so the fight is heated. Connecticut’s lawmakers, like Senator Chris Murphy and Representative Rosa DeLauro, are against cuts, while some Republicans, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, push for reform. The outcome will affect your healthcare and taxes.

Stay informed. Ask your representatives how they’ll protect Medicaid for Connecticut’s most vulnerable while fixing the program’s problems. Republicans have a chance to show they’re serious about making Medicaid work better—if they don’t duck the issue.

Adapted from a Wall Street Journal editorial, May 7, 2025.

[](https://budget.house.gov/press-release/wall-street-journal-editorial-board-the-gops-medicaid-moment-of-truth)

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