President Joe Biden is continuing his quest to inject more government into our healthcare system. His $2 trillion infrastructure plan would direct $400 billion to expand Medicaid coverage for at-home and community-based care for the elderly. It’s the costliest line item in the package.
Nearly 75% of likely voters support the measure, according to recent polling. But throwing more money at Medicaid won’t fix our nation’s lack of affordable, high-quality, long-term care. In fact, it’s part of the problem. In 2019, Medicaid spending exceeded $613 billion. That’s 16% of the nation’s total healthcare bill. Much of that money is wasted. The latest estimate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is that more than one-fifth of all Medicaid payments are “improper.”
