Senate Republicans look to sweeten Medicaid pot to silence dissent on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'

The Medicaid statement among Senate Republicans continues to rage on, but a caller connection geared toward sating concerns implicit the survivability of agrarian hospitals could assistance to adjacent the lingering fissures wrong the conference.

Senate Republicans are sprinting to decorativeness their enactment connected President Donald Trump’s "big, beauteous bill," which is filled with cardinal priorities similar making his first-term taxation cuts permanent, backing his migration and borderline information agenda, and rooting retired waste, fraud and maltreatment crossed a assortment of programs.

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President Donald Trump speaks during a media league astatine the extremity of the NATO acme successful The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

But lawmakers are inactive astatine likelihood implicit changes made successful the Senate’s mentation of the measure to the Medicaid supplier taxation rate and the effects that it could person connected agrarian hospitals, threatening to derail the authorities adjacent the decorativeness line.

A connection making the rounds from the Senate Finance Committee obtained by Fox News Digital would make a abstracted stabilization money that would spell toward aiding and upgrading agrarian healthcare.

The committee’s connection would allocate $3 cardinal annually to states that use to the programme implicit the adjacent 5 fiscal years.

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Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, speaks to members of the media pursuing the Senate Republican argumentation luncheon astatine the US Capitol successful Washington connected Jun. 4, 2025.  (Getty Images)

But that magnitude is excessively debased for immoderate senators and acold excessively overmuch for others.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has been moving connected a akin connection but would similar a overmuch higher money of $100 billion. That fig is improbable to walk muster with her colleagues and inactive isn’t precocious capable for her.

"I don’t deliberation that solves the full problem," she said. "The Senate cuts successful Medicaid are acold deeper than the House cuts and I deliberation that’s problematic arsenic well."

Collins would similar a instrumentality to the House GOP’s projected changes to the supplier taxation rate, alternatively than the Senate’s harsher crackdown.

The Senate changes to the supplier taxation complaint deed adjacent to location for Collins, whose state’s agrarian hospitals are already successful jeopardy due to the fact that the authorities of Maine failed to beforehand its fund successful time, leaving astir $400 cardinal successful Medicaid backing that would person gone to agrarian hospitals successful limbo.

"Obviously immoderate wealth is helpful. But no, it is not adequate," she said.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks during a quality league pursuing the play Senate Republican argumentation luncheon astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Jun. 17, 2025, successful Washington. (Getty Images)

Indeed, the changes to the Medicaid supplier taxation rate, which were a stark departure from the House GOP’s mentation of the bill, angered the Republicans who person warned not to marque revisions to the wellness attraction programme that could unopen down agrarian hospitals and footwear moving Americans from their benefits.

The Senate Finance Committee went further than the House’s frost of the supplier taxation rate, oregon the magnitude that authorities Medicaid programs wage to healthcare providers connected behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries, for non-Affordable Care Act enlargement states and included a proviso that lowers the complaint successful enlargement states annually until it hits 3.5%.

However, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and immoderate Senate Republicans person argued that the supplier taxation complaint is simply a scam rife with fraud that really harms agrarian hospitals much than it helps.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was successful the aforesaid camp, and has argued that the complaint should beryllium nixed completely. He has likewise pushed for a abstracted money but wasn't keen connected the outgo of the existent proposal.

"I don't cognize that we request $15 billion," helium said. "But this needs to beryllium tally by CMS."

And others wanted to spot much wealth injected into a stabilization fund.

"I deliberation $5 cardinal a twelvemonth would much than marque them whole," Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said.

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall speaking to reporters astatine a property conference. (Getty Images)

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He contended that, arsenic the lone lawmaker who has tally a agrarian hospital, determination are lone astir 12 cardinal radical connected Medicaid successful agrarian America, and that lawmakers should "tighten things up" erstwhile it comes to backing the wellness attraction program.

He said that being connected Medicaid was "not the aforesaid arsenic having healthcare," and added that "at best, 2 thirds of doctors judge Medicaid, and adjacent galore of the specialists, erstwhile they accidental they do, they won't springiness you an assignment for six months oregon a year."

"Medicaid is not the solution," helium said. "It's the astir breached national strategy up here."