Over the weekend, the Senate passed a budget resolution laying the groundwork to cut almost a trillion dollars from Medicaid to fund tax breaks for the ultrawealthy and big corporations. The House is expected to cement these plans later this week, threatening the health care of over 70 million Americans. At a time when Trump is ripping apart the nation’s public health system and tanking the economy, Americans cannot afford these devastating cuts to Medicaid
Millions across the country have shouted their outrage during town halls and protests, railing against indiscriminate cuts to Medicaid and vital public health services. Research shows that Republican voters rely on Medicaid for their health care and that cuts are unpopular among Trump voters. New polls also continue to shine a light on the importance of Medicaid in local communities, providing critical coverage to low-income seniors, children, veterans, and people with serious disabilities. From Trump voters opposing Medicaid cuts to opinion pieces written in local media outlets, headlines across the country make it clear just how unpopular their agenda is.
NATIONAL
CBS News: House Speaker Johnson Is Eyeing Big Cuts To Medicaid. In His Louisiana District, It’s A Lifeline.
- “Last year nearly 290,000 people in Johnson’s district were enrolled in Medicaid, about 38% of the total population, according to data compiled by KFF, the health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. About 118,000 of them are in the program thanks to the Affordable Care Act, which allowed states including Louisiana to expand Medicaid to cover low-income adults, many of whom were working in low-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance. Louisiana ranks second in Medicaid enrollment, at nearly 32% — a reflection of the state’s high poverty rate. As Republicans weigh cuts, their actions could have dramatic consequences for their constituents here. Of the eight GOP-held House districts with the most Medicaid enrollees due to the expansion, four are in Louisiana. Johnson’s largely rural district ranks sixth in expansion enrollees.”
- “In this heavily Republican district, where Johnson won with 86% of the vote in November, 22% of residents live in poverty. […] Medicaid recipients in Johnson’s district, told about GOP plans to cut the program, said their lives are hard enough in a state where the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Without Medicaid, they said, they couldn’t afford health coverage.”
Politico: Trump Pollster Finds Medicaid Cuts Unpopular Among Trump Voters.
- “A majority of people who voted for Donald Trump oppose potential moves from congressional Republicans to cut Medicaid funding, according to new polling from the firm of Tony Fabrizio, the president’s 2024 campaign pollster.”
- “‘There’s really not a political appetite out there to go after Medicaid to pay for tax cuts,’ said Bob Ward, partner with Fabrizio Ward, in an interview. ‘Medicaid has touched so many families that people have made up their minds about what they don’t want to see cut.’”
KFF Health News: The House Speaker’s Eyeing Big Cuts to Medicaid. In His Louisiana District, It’s a Lifeline.
- “KFF Health News spoke with two dozen Medicaid enrollees in Johnson’s district. Most said they were unaware their congressman is leading the Republican charge to upend the program. Those informed of the Republican plan said it scares them.”
- “Medicaid recipients in Johnson’s district, told about GOP plans to cut the program, said their lives are hard enough in a state where the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Without Medicaid, they said, they couldn’t afford health coverage.”
New York Times: The Three States That Are Especially Stuck if Congress Cuts Medicaid.
- “If Republicans choose to make the projected budget reductions by cutting into Medicaid expansion, the other 37 states (and D.C.) that participate in the expansion could stop covering working-class adults. Nine states have laws explicitly requiring them to stop Medicaid expansion or make significant changes if the federal share of spending drops. But South Dakota, Missouri and Oklahoma can’t do that. They either need to amend their constitutions, a lengthy process that can take years, or figure out how to fill the budget hole, most likely by cutting other services or raising taxes.”
Axios: Senate Sets Up Clash Over Medicaid Cuts.
- “What they’re saying: Republican senators have made clear their concerns about Medicaid cuts. ‘Tonight I spoke for a good bit with President Trump about Medicaid — he told me the House will NOT cut Medicaid benefits and the Senate will NOT cut Medicaid benefits and he won’t sign any benefit cuts,’ Sen. Josh Hawley wrote on X on Thursday. ‘I hope congressional leadership will get the message.’ Sen. Lisa Murkowski also wrote on X that despite her voting for the budget resolution, it had ‘serious shortcomings.’ These included the adoption of the current policy baseline and that it still had the instruction for finding $880 billion in savings from House Energy and Commerce ‘that would require significant cuts to Medicaid.’ Hawley even joined with Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden on an amendment to strike that Energy and Commerce instruction. It narrowly failed, with Hawley, Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins the only Republicans to break ranks and vote for it.”
Truthout: Resistance Grows as Proposed Cuts Threaten Health Care for Over 79 Million in US.
- “‘The need for health care unites us all,’ Smith told Truthout. ‘Right now, I’m terrified of losing Medicaid and being unable to get injections for pain control. They’re the only thing that makes it possible for me to be on my game.’”
The Canary: Trump’s Impending Medicare Cuts Spell Disaster for Severely Chronically Ill People Like Emily.
- “What’s more, not only will the cuts sever her financial bridge to her daily treatment, but it could stop her getting the surgeries she sorely needs. These are crucial treatments that could improve her long-standing health issues. These would help her regain a quality of life that enables her to not just survive, but live with fewer life-threatening, debilitating symptoms, and she hopes, even pursue her passions.”
- “To this point, Emily has only been able to access the care and surgeries she has needed due to Medicare and Medicaid.”
IN THE STATES
Public News Service: Federal Budget Cuts to Medicaid Would Significantly Impact New Mexico.
- “‘Over 780,000 New Mexicans are currently enrolled in Medicaid,’ said Otero, ‘so federal cuts would greatly impact how things operate here in New Mexico.’ She added that cuts in coverage threaten health care services, from the birth of a new child to cancer treatments.”
WSHU: CT Democrats Seek Public Support to Stop GOP Medicaid Cuts.
- “‘It’s like Sophie’s Choice who gets help here,’ he [Rep. Joe Courtney] said during a visit to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford on Friday. ‘There’s no question that every program, particularly children who are such a high percent of the patient population, would be negatively impacted,’ Courtney said.”
Union-Bulletin: Think Proposed Medicaid Cuts Will Affect Only Poor, Elderly in Central WA? Think Again.
- “It’s not just people like Morgan’s client who need to be concerned about deep cuts to Medicaid that Congress may approve. The program provides free or low-cost medical care to nearly 300,000 in Washington’s 4th Congressional District, which includes the Tri-Cities. The district is the most dependent on Medicaid/Apple Health in the state, with 70% of children and 24% of adults relying on the government program. Covered patients include children, the elderly, those with disabilities, young families and people who don’t have health insurance benefits at their job. Steep reductions to the Washington Medicaid, or Apple Health, would impact services for other residents, according to health care officials. They could mean even busier emergency rooms, the closure of rural hospitals and loss of community doctors, and fewer medical services for everyone as hospitals lose Medicaid revenue.”
KMA Land: Nonprofits Warn Proposed Medicaid Cuts Could Devastate Millions of Missourians.
- “About 1.3 million Missourians are currently enrolled in Medicaid and nonprofits around the state have warned proposed federal cuts would be devastating. In Missouri, children are the largest group served by Medicaid, with 61% enrolled. States could face more than $800 billion in Medicaid cuts and more than $200 billion in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps.”
- “‘State legislators are going to be forced to — and administrators forced to — find those dollars elsewhere,’ Bryant Macklin pointed out. ‘That elsewhere will be from other key social services that folks are relying upon and that the state has grown accustomed to receiving that federal support.’”
CalMatters: California Has Big Plans for Improving Mental Health. Medicaid Cuts Could Upend Them.
- “But mental health advocates, health plans, and county officials put it this way: Medicaid funding cuts would result in more sick people going without treatment. That would increase the likelihood of them losing employment or dropping out of school and ending up in need of more acute care, or worse, on the street.”
PennLive: Opinion: Federal Cuts to Medicaid Would Devastate Low-Income Pennsylvanians.
- “Federal health care programs like Medicaid, Title X, and ACA Marketplace plans are essential for Pennsylvanians, especially people with low incomes, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. These programs provide access to birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings, and gender-affirming care—services that keep our communities healthy.”
Kentucky Lantern: Opinion: Affordable Health Care Is at Risk for Many Kentuckians.
- “Medicaid is also at risk: Politicians are spreading exaggerations and falsehoods, trivializing the successes of Medicaid and working hard to strip affordable health care away from those who need it most. In Congress, it has been widely reported that Republican leaders are weighing enormous cuts to Medicaid to pay for an extension of tax cuts for the wealthy.”
West Virginia Watch: Opinion: West Virginians Have Sent a Clear Message to Lawmakers: Don’t Cut Medicaid.
- “West Virginians can’t afford state or federal cuts to Medicaid. We need our congressional delegation to fight for a budget that prioritizes people — not the interests of the wealthy few. If they truly represent the interests of their constituents, they will protect Medicaid and ensure that every West Virginian, regardless of income, has access to the health care they need.”
Daily Herald: Opinion: Protecting Medicaid’s Promise for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
- “In Illinois, one in three people with intellectual and developmental disabilities rely on Medicaid for their long-term care and support needs. These are our neighbors, our family members, our friends — and they deserve to have the support needed to live independently, have careers and thrive in their communities.”
- “Medicaid cuts won’t save money — they’ll shift costs to states, forcing states to cut services or increase the burden on taxpayers.”
La Crosse Tribune: Wisconsinites Fear Trump Medicaid Cuts; ‘This Time, It Just Feels Different.’
- “Frederick, like many others in western Wisconsin, harbors deep concerns about the impact of possible Medicaid cuts. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a broad budget outline that calls for $880 billion in spending cuts over 10 years. Budget analysts doubt whether that can be achieved without deep cuts to Medicaid, especially if Congress approves another round of tax reductions while keeping programs such s Social Security, Medicare, defense spending, farm subsidies and veterans’ benefits untouched.”
Salt Lake Tribune: Cutting Medicaid Could Be Devastating for Children.
- “Cutting Medicaid would deny coverage to many of these children. Not only would this show a lack of compassion for innocent children, there would be many other costs to our country. Children who are denied coverage would experience worse health outcomes, including impact to their mental health, which could affect their ability to be productive members of society as adults. The families are also likely to compile medical debt that they are unable to pay, increasing the costs of health care for the country overall.”
Cleveland.com: ‘Cataclysmic Ripple Effect:’ How Medicaid Cuts Could Harm Ohio’s Economy
- “Patients could lose their health care while in the midst of cancer treatment. The newly uninsured may avoid getting care because they’re afraid of the bill. When they finally do see a physician, these patients will be sicker.”
- “All hospitals would be impacted by the cuts because they must pay for the cost of care that Medicaid doesn’t cover. But safety-net hospitals, like MetroHealth System, are particularly vulnerable if cuts occur, because they treat a disproportionate share of the region’s lower-income individuals.”
AL.com: Opinion: I Became a Doctor to Save Lives. The State of Alabama Won’t Let Me.
- “Over the last decade, I have watched, helplessly, as patients succumbed to preventable illnesses because they could not afford medical care. Alabama Medicaid covers health care for children, but once they reach age 19, their care is cut off, denying many sick kids access to care that would allow them to live the lives they wanted. I am not the only doctor who has had patients die because of insurance loss.”
- “Protecting Medicaid will save lives. Funding cuts would be devastating — not just for patients, but for our entire health care system. People like Carrie and Blake deserve a chance to thrive. And physicians like me deserve a fighting chance to do what we trained to do: heal.”