WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, today questioned Secretary of Health & Human Services-designee Tom Price during his confirmation hearing about his support for gutting Medicaid and turning it into a block-grant program to states.

Sen. Menendez underscored that, by block-granting Medicaid, health care for millions of Americans would be put in jeopardy. The senator honed in on whether Rep. Price (R-Ga.) believed Medicaid was an individual right, because by refusing to acknowledge as such, Rep. Price signaled that he would be open to stripping low-income individuals, seniors and people with disabilities of their health care coverage.

More than a half-million New Jerseyans—11 million nationwide—attained healthcare coverage just through the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

###