Federal reconciliation package could cut Medicaid, SNAP and other safety-net programs, Lake County told

What the board heard: Rachel Mackey of Paragon Government Relations briefed the Lake County Board on May 13 about an active U.S. congressional reconciliation package that, as drafted in mid-May, would seek roughly $700 billion in Medicaid savings and $300 billion in SNAP (CalFresh) savings over 10 years. Mackey told the board that the package's measures could include lower federal matching rates for expansion populations, mandatory Medicaid work requirements and more frequent eligibility redeterminations. She warned that the Congressional Budget Office estimates the combined Medicaid/ACA provisions could lead to roughly 13.7 million people losing health coverage over a decade if the bills passed in current form.

Why it matters locally: Supervisors and county social-service staff said the county is already heavily dependent on federal programs. Rachel Dillman Parsons, Lake County Social Services director, told the board that about half of county residents were on Medi-Cal and about a third on CalFresh; changes to federal match rates, provider tax rules or…