A medicaid reform measure, is headed to the Senate chamber after the House advanced a plan at week's end.

The Republican plan makes changes to Medicaid that will align with new federal requirements.

Supporters say the reforms will reduce wasteful spending in the program.

But as our June LaFleur reports, Democrats believe House Bill five will create more barriers for Kentuckians to access and keep public health care benefits.

Last year, the Kentucky General Assembly created a new Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board and made more rules for the state Department of Medicaid Services, in part citing how costly the program is.

Over the past five years, our Medicaid budget has grown from about 10 billion to 24 billion.

Despite seeing significant growth in program funding, our state continues to consistently rank at the bottom and the national health ratings.

This year, Jefferson County Republican proposes House Bill two to reduce costs and add accountability.

Give me an example.

I had somebody literally in my office show me that they got a qualify for Medicaid at $44,000 a month, not a year, a month.

That's fraud.

Some of those changes include federal requirements and the big beautiful bill.

Like co-pays and work or community engagement requirements for nearly half a million Kentucky adults on Medicaid expansion.

The bill's sponsor says Kentucky's most vulnerable aren't subject to these changes.

These populations include pregnant women, caregivers for a dependent child on a 13, and individuals with serious or chronic health conditions.

Individuals currently receiving services through the home community based waivers.

But Democrats say House Bill two adds more hurdles on top of federal statutes.

You can't be a human being in a body and not need health care that we take our most vulnerable people and tell them, you've got to jump through these hoops.

You got to do this.

If we know there's fraud, why not go after the clinics that are defrauding the government?

Why not go after the people that are defrauding the government instead of making all the people pay a co-pay?

It might sound like a small amount, but for a Kentuckian who's battling cancer, a grandmother needing regular dialysis, or a neighbor managing heart disease, these are recurring and compounding barriers to life saving or sustaining care.

My prediction is in the next three years or so, our state will be in a huge mess of folks needing health care.

Not getting health care, dying of things that could have been prevented.

And I cannot vote for this bill in good conscience.

House Bill two passed 77 to 21, largely along party lines.

Before the vote, Democrats offered a host of failed amendments to address their concerns.

For Kentucky edition, I'm Gene Leffler.

Thank you.

June.

Health care providers and insurance companies will also face tighter scrutiny under this bill.