Senators reject push to restore Medicaid funding

Senators on Thursday rejected an amendment that backed restoring more than a trillion dollars to Medicaid.

Senators voted 47-53 on the proposal, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) broke rank and voted with Democrats.

{mosads}The amendment would have rolled back more than $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid.

Before the vote, Wyden urged his colleagues to support the amendment, saying it would “be consistent with our Medicaid vote that was cast earlier this week.”

“It’s impossible to square [a] budget that has $1.2 trillion in cuts, with the vote that was held earlier this week to protect Medicaid,” he said. “You can’t get those savings without cutting reimbursements for nursing homes and long-term care facilities.”

But Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) disagreed with the notion that the budget cut Medicaid, saying instead that it “slows its growth rate.”

“The budget before us suggests we modernize the Medicaid program based upon the successful and bipartisan model,” he said. “The Senate budget strengthens and improves Medicaid and protects the most vulnerable among us who rely on the program.”

Senators voted Tuesday to approve a budget amendment from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is considering a potential 2016 presidential bid, that opposes cuts to Medicaid.