Josh Hawley Is Wrong About Medicaid Reform

Senator Josh Hawley recently published an op-ed opposing Medicaid reform, claiming that cutting the program is politically suicidal and morally wrong. He could not be more mistaken.

Medicaid is one of the fastest-growing drivers of our national debt. According to the House Freedom Caucus, if we continue on this trajectory, entitlement programs like Medicaid will push us past $50 trillion in debt within a decade. Reform isn’t just an option.

It’s a necessity.

Medicaid was created in 1965 to serve the truly needy—the elderly, disabled, and very low-income families. But over the decades, its scope has ballooned far beyond that.

Thanks to Obamacare-era expansions, millions of able-bodied adults with no dependents are now on Medicaid. In fact, these able-bodied adults now outnumber the truly needy in many states.

This is not sustainable, and it certainly wasn't the original intent.