Michigan Congressman John James backs plan to strip healthcare from his constituents

US Rep. John James is advancing plans to take healthcare coverage away from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders—including thousands living in his own district.

MICHIGAN—Republicans in Congress have taken some of the first formal steps toward slashing funding for Medicaid—and US Rep. John James is helping lead the charge.

This week, as one of only two members of Congress from Michigan who serve on the powerful US House Energy and Commerce Committee, James voted to advance a Republican proposal that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from the Medicaid program over the next decade.

The legislation, approved in a 30-24 party-line vote on Wednesday, would add new red tape for Medicaid recipients and likely lead to coverage being stripped away from millions of Americans—including thousands living in James’ own district in Macomb and Oakland counties.

The plan is now expected to be folded into a broader package of Republican-backed budget bills, which could be brought to the House floor for a vote as soon as next week.

What’s in the Bill?

The proposal being advanced by House Republicans this week would slash federal Medicaid spending by more than $625 billion over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That’s the largest proposed cut in the program’s 60-year history.

As a result, an estimated 10.3 million people would lose access to Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with 7.6 million people becoming uninsured over the next decade.

Those cuts would come, in part, by imposing stringent new work, school, or community service requirements for most adults between the ages 19 and 65, blocking funding to certain health care providers, and limiting access to subsidized coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

As written, the bill would also bar Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood, including for cancer screenings, birth control, and other preventive care. And it would effectively block people who lose Medicaid coverage from turning to the Affordable Care Act marketplace for subsidized insurance—further narrowing options for those who fall through the cracks.

Data released by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office shows that about 2.6 million Michiganders are enrolled in Medicaid—including more than 300,000 people with disabilities and 168,000 seniors. Medicaid also covers about 45% of births statewide, with higher rates in rural communities.

Under the plan, more than 750,000 Michiganders now risk losing care altogether, Whitmer said.

“The Congressional Republican plan to gut Medicaid will kick people who need health care off of it and raise costs on every single taxpayer,” Whitmer said in a statement. “It will make us poorer and sicker without actually tackling the root causes of waste, fraud, and abuse that we all agree we need to go after together. I’m calling on Republicans in our congressional delegation to consider the disastrous impacts of this budget on their fellow Michiganders and vote no.”

The Road Ahead

Like other Republican lawmakers, James has a long history of supporting steep funding cuts for programs like Medicaid and Social Security—which serve as key lifelines for many of the same voters that he’s now asking to support his campaign for governor, including in his own district.

Data shows that more than 132,000 Michiganders living in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District are enrolled in Medicaid.

Before this week’s vote, James had already joined all seven Republican members of Congress from Michigan in voting for the loose outline of this plan to cut federal health care funding. And the US House is now working to finalize their proposed cuts before the end of the month. 

In response to the latest vote, Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel called James “a disgrace to our entire state and the millions of Michiganders that rely on Medicaid.”

“Either James doesn’t actually care about Michiganders as a congressman or he’s too busy running for governor to bother doing the right thing—either way, Michigan deserves better in either office,” Hertel said in a statement on Wednesday following the committee vote.

While James ramps up his political ambitions, he’s also been increasingly absent from his current job. Despite repeated invitations, James has declined to attend local town hall meetings to speak directly with voters—including one that he was invited to last month in Warren.

“It is time for Republicans like US Rep. John James to go back to the drawing board because nobody is rooting for them to make life more expensive for Americans,” Steven Lawson, the executive director of Michigan Families for Fair Care, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

READ MORE: What happens when Congress slashes Medicaid? Ask a Michigan mom.

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