Auditor predicts 35 percent Medicaid cut by 2036

The Congressional Budget Office says Medicaid cuts in the Senate Republican health care bill would take a 35 percent bite off the program’s projected spending by 2036.

CBO has estimated the Republican bill would mean 15 million fewer Medicaid recipients by 2026. It now covers over 70 million.

That is not good news for those who rely on on Medicaid nor the companies that provide them health care.

Harry Coster is an El Paso physical therapist who has owned a health care company for 20 years. Coster said nearly half of his patients are covered by Medicaid or Medicare. He’s is now worried about his future should the Senate bill become law.

“Especially Medicaid, it’s already a difficult program because there are a lot of paperwork requirements. And they have already cut us about 20 percent over the last couple of years by the state. So, if there are going to be more cuts there will come a point when it is just not feasible to see these patients and still run a business effectively. So it will affect us. It definitely could cause us to have a therapist or two less and probably four or five employees less. And i think a lot of clinics are facing that, ” Coster said.

Alejandro Rincon is one of Coster’s patients. He has two small fractures on his spine and shoulder injuries. Rincon said he relies on Medicaid to pay for this treatments.

“Personally, it pretty much pays for everything. My medications, my physical therapy. When I need testing or shots. It definitely helps me entirely,” Rincon said. “I firmly believe that the cuts on Medicaid will definitely close doors on individuals like myself coming from low income families. We will not have the same opportunities to attend physical therapy or get better.”

Coster predicts the cuts could have an impact on college students considering physical therapy as a career. He said it normally take seven years of education.

“There is a lot of need for physical therapy. That is definitely increasing. But is there going to be payment for physical therapy services?” Coster said.

Should the GOP Senate bill pass, Coster worries his patients will suffer.

“If i look at the patients that fall under medicare/medicaid, they are patients that absolutely need it. A lot of times they are disadvantaged, they are disabled, they are hurt and they need a place to go. So yes, it definitely hurts me to think that maybe down the road they won’t be able to have access to physical therapy,” Coster said.

“It frightens me because I just don’t want to lose out on the opportunity to get better,” Rincon said.