‘That’s my question!’ CNN host frustrated as guest rattles off GOP soundbites
CNN anchor Brianna Keilar pressed Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) over the issue of a proposed a Medicaid work requirement as Republican lawmakers consider making cuts to pay for President Donald Trump’s mega spending bill.
Trump met with Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday to motivate them to iron out their differences over the bill since he can only afford to lose three GOP votes in order to pass it.
Keilar noted that almost 140,000 of Patronis’s constituents received Medicaid, which worked out to “roughly one out of every six people.”
She asked if any of them would “lose Medicaid coverage” if the new work requirement for “able-bodied” people went into effect before 2029, as the congressman preferred. And she asked for clarification on who constituted an “able-bodied” person.
“For example, should a young adult male in your district who is in the throes of addiction be expected to meet those requirements while in rehab?” Keilar asked.
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“Right now, a young adult male in the state of Florida is not eligible for Medicaid unless he’s disabled or has some other type of disability that’s given that pathway,” Patronis answered.
“Well, I’m asking if he should be eligible, facing a medical issue like that,” Keilar said.
“So, that individual does not have access to expanded guaranteed Medicaid health benefits if he’s an able-bodied male, because it’s not part of Florida’s acceptance into that program,” Patronis answered.
Keilar then asked about the nation as a whole, not just Florida.
Patronis said, “When you’ve got able-bodied males that have the ability to go out and seek employment in order to maybe secure health insurance to the private sector, that frees up dollars for disabled, for elderly, for women. So again —”
Keilar interrupted, “Is that person abled-bodied, though? Sir, that’s my question! But, congressman, that’s my question. Is that an able-bodied person, someone who is in rehab dealing with addiction?”
After a lengthy debate, Patronis concluded, “I definitely want to make sure that the elderly or seniors are women or children — that they always have a robust safety net that always takes care of them. That is the purpose of Medicaid.”
