Here’s the evidence:
The Washington Senate’s chief budget writer, Dino Rossi, R-Sammamish, would have recommended moving 40,000 children off Medicaid even if the federal funding formula had remained the same because of the overall budget shortfall and Rossi’s determination to balance the budget without new taxes, Rossi spokesman Scott Armstrong said. [Bellingham Herald, 4/5/03]
The Senate plan would drop from Medicaid rolls about 40,000 children in households with incomes above 175 percent of the poverty level. [Seattle Times, 5/15/03]
Republican senators cut Medicaid coverage for 40,000 poor children…While cutting services to 40,000 poor kids, Senate Republicans would give $15 million in additional tax breaks to businesses. [The Olympian, 4/20/03]
The Senate’s other controversial budget proposal would cut an estimated 40,000 children from vision, dental and health care under Medicaid, which is a state-federal program. The savings would be $54.5 million. Children whose families make more than $32,200 for a family of four would no longer be eligible. [Yakima Herald Republic, 5/12/03]
The proposed Senate budget would cut 40,000 children off Medicaid, the joint federal and state health care program, to save about $46 million. Children whose families make more than $32,200 for a family of four would no longer be eligible… Most of the kids who would lose coverage, about 33,000, have family incomes between 175 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The Legislature extended health care coverage to kids in that income bracket in 1993; in 2000, the state expanded health coverage to kids with family incomes up to 250 percent of the poverty level… Families who fall off Medicaid would likely not be able to join the state-subsidized Basic Health Plan. The Senate budget calls for enrollment freezes to reduce the number of people in that program from 135,000 to about 93,000. [Associated Press, 4/3/03]
The Ad Says “Rossi voted to cut doctors for kids”
Here’s the evidence:
Senator Rossi voted for his 2003-05 budget proposal. [ESSB5404, 4/4/03]
The Senate plan would drop from Medicaid rolls about 40,000 children in households with incomes above 175 percent of the poverty level. [Seattle Times, 5/15/03]
Democrats ripped the budget for the cuts it will make to health care programs that help the poor – including cutting off 40,000 children who would become ineligible for Medicaid because their family incomes are more than 175 percent of the poverty level. [The Olympian, 4/5/03]
State Sen. Dino Rossi’s plan to eliminate 40,000 children from Medicaid insurance was rejected. [Seattle Times, 6/8/03]
Download the billand read it for yourself.