Sen. Baldwin hosts roundtable discussion on future of Medicaid

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- Congressional Republicans are considering dramatic cuts to Medicaid.

That plan has two key parts: work requirements for Medicaid patients and scaling back how much the federal government gives to states to pay for their programs. 

That would likely mean billions of dollars' worth of cuts. 

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin held a roundtable discussion Monday to discuss Medicaid's future. 

She says cuts like these could have deep impacts for seniors in Milwaukee County.

"When you're talking about those types of dollars, he's not talking about eliminating waste or fraud or abuse," said Sen. Baldwin. "This goes much deeper, into the very programs that you championed."

Sen. Baldwin says she put forward an amendment to stop benefit cuts to seniors, but it was rejected by Senate Republicans. 

Right now, around 80 million Americans receive health care coverage through Medicaid. That includes more than 1.2 million people in Wisconsin.