Dr. Mehmet Oz and others have raised concerns about the use of Medicaid funds in non-medical areas, particularly as the GOP pushes for significant budget cuts to the program. The CalAIM initiative in California illustrates an attempt to address high healthcare costs by offering non-traditional services to vulnerable populations, such as assistance with housing and food insecurity. However, critics argue that the research on the effectiveness of such programs is insufficient, highlighting the challenges faced by high-cost users who disproportionately affect spending.
It also fits with broader GOP calls to slim down the federal government. Medicaid is under scrutiny as part of a GOP-led budget process in the House of Representatives that calls for $880 billion in cuts over 10 years to programs including Medicaid.
Roughly half of all Medi-Cal spending can be attributed to 5% of high-cost users. We've spent the last few decades in public health and health policy, arguing that so much of health and medical costs is driven by environmental factors.
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