“The 25,000 physicians of the Massachusetts Medical Society hold a steadfast belief that health care is a basic human right. Efforts made through attempted legislative and regulatory changes to interfere with our patients’ ability to access and afford
health care and its necessary provisions are cruel and short-sighted.
By allowing states to shift Medicaid funds into a “block grant ” system, the administration not only attempts to sidestep the law, inviting legal opposition, but capped spending likely will lead to cuts that will potentially affect all Medicaid beneficiaries
and will disproportionality harm those who rely on this funding to treat and manage chronic illnesses and for medications required to do so.
This proposal jeopardizes the wellbeing of millions of our patients who may suffer grave consequences if health care funding is slashed or diverted. This latest misguided attempt to undermine safety net health care intended to aid our most vulnerable
patients impedes our ability to adhere to our ethical responsibility to provide care.
The Massachusetts Medical Society remains grateful to our Congressional delegation for their support of the Affordable Care Act and provisions that assure access to health care for our patients and we urge all legislators to consider the harm that inevitable
will result from block granting health care funding.”
-Maryanne C. Bombaugh, MD, MSc, MBA, FACOG, President, Massachusetts Medical Society
