Republican state House Speaker Matt Hall said Wednesday that he is open to seeking more time from the federal government to enact cuts to Michigan’s Medicaid program. That’s after Governor Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump earlier this week to seek a temporary reprieve.
Hall supports the reductions to the low-income health care program in the budget bill signed recently by the president. He said he understands the Democratic governor’s position, but the Medicaid rolls in Michigan will be trimmed.
“And so at some point, Michigan is going to have to adjust our Medicaid system to reflect the fact that that we’re either – we’re just going to have to adjust it to reflect this new reality and that’s OK,” he said at his weekly sit-down with journalists. That includes ending a funding mechanism used by hospitals to boost their Medicaid reimbursements.
Whitmer said in her meeting with Trump that a three-year waiver on the cuts would give the state time to manage the effect on 2.6 million Michiganders covered by Medicaid. Also, many urban and rural hospitals rely on Medicaid reimbursements to keep their doors open.
Hall reiterated that he does not feel a sense of urgency about getting the budget done, even though more than a month has passed since the July 1 statutory deadline has passed to have a finished budget signed into law. Hall said he expects a budget will be done by October 1, when the state’s fiscal year begins.
But missing the July 1 deadline has left school districts, public universities, community colleges and many local governments making austerity moves with no idea of what to expect in state funding.
Hall has essentially frozen out the House Democratic leader, Representative Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) in negotiations. On Wednesday, Puri said Hall has not been serious about negotiating a budget deal.
“Hall must immediately resume negotiations,” Puri said in a written statement. “Every day of Republican inaction brings us closer to government shutdown.”
Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), who sits on the Senate K-12 budget subcommittee, said the drawn-out budget impasse is making itself shown in tangible ways as schools make tough choices. She said some schools are ending universal school breakfast and lunch programs.
“Make no mistake, as Republicans continue to play political games instead of working on a budget, Michigan children will go hungry, and it is unconscionable,” she said.
