By Steve LaBlanc
Boston (AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker (click here) says he wants to make sure Massachusetts continues to maintain a health care system that has delivered insurance to about 97 percent of its residents.
The Republican governor made his comments Monday after the release of a Congressional Budget Office report that found 14 million Americans would lose coverage next year under legislation proposed by House Republicans. The number could jump to 24 million by 2026.
The GOP proposal relies in part on cuts to the federal-state Medicaid program, forcing states to pick up the tab.
Baker, a former health care executive, says federal Medicaid dollars are critical to helping insure Massachusetts residents. He says the state receives about $10.5 billion in federal Medicaid reimbursement each year, a little more than half of the state’s total $19 billion in Medicaid spending....
