WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senators Rick Scott and Ted Cruz wrote an op-ed for The Hill highlighting a devastating proposal in President Biden’s Build Back Broke plan that would cut spending for hospitals that provide care to underserved communities, and include tax cuts for the super wealthy.

In the op-ed, Senators Rick Scott and Ted Cruz wrote, “Buried deep within Biden’s reckless tax-and-spending-spree package are devastating and vindictive payment cuts to state Uncompensated Care Pool (UCP) programs and a 12.5 percent reduction from Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments (DSH).

What does that mean? As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi want to slash federal funds to hospitals who care for low-income patients, along with those who are underserved and uninsured. These patients, who are currently eligible for charitable and low-income assistance, may begin seeing medical bills and incurring medical debt.

It’s worth noting these cuts are not happening in every state. Rather, Biden and Pelosi have targeted states that have opted to not expand Medicaid.

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Even worse, all of this appears to have been done in secret. After receiving a letter from Sen. Scott on Nov. 5 warning about the disastrous impacts of these proposed cuts to charity care providers, House Democrats in the 12 impacted states wrote a letter to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer saying they had not been informed of this addition to the bill.

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You would think that Democrats — with full control of the House, Senate and the White House — would be doing everything they could to slow rising prices and make life more affordable for American families. And you would think that Democrats would want to partner with their Republican colleagues to focus on legislation that expands opportunity and freedom.

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For Democrats, the question is simple: are you willing to cut services and hurt families in your own state to appease Pelosi and conform with her tyrannical House? The answer should be easy: ‘No.’ We’ll keep fighting for the families of our states and urge others in Washington to have the courage to do the same.”

Read the full op-ed in The Hill HERE.

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