Washington, D.C. – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, released the following statement today after the Associated Press revealed that a glitch in last year’s health care law “would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed.”

“During last year’s health care debate, then-Speaker Pelosi famously said that ‘we have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.’  This new AP report is further evidence that last year’s health care will be even costlier and more damaging that anyone could have imagined.  Medicaid, in particular, is turning into a disaster.  Governors all across the country are warning about a fiscal crisis caused by federally-imposed Medicaid mandates.  We need to give Governors the flexibility they need to keep costs down while ensuring the program is viable for those who truly need it – the poor, the elderly, and those with disabilities.”  

Rep. McMorris Rodgers is one of the leading advocates in Congress for Medicaid reform.

On May 3, 2011, Rep. McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) introduced The State Flexibility Act to repeal the Medicaid Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements in the stimulus bill and The Patient Protection Act.  The MOE prohibits states from adjusting their eligibility for Medicaid prior to the program’s explosive expansion scheduled for 2014 – also a product of last year’s health care law. The bipartisan National Governors Association calls MOE reform one of their top priorities for Congress this year. 

The StateFlexibility Act has passed the House Health Subcommittee.