House Budget Committee Approves $700B Medicaid Cuts Impacting Millions Nationwide

Recent research highlights the life-saving benefits of Medicaid, showing that states expanding the program under the Affordable Care Act reduced mortality rates by 21% among enrollees and saved tens of thousands of lives. Despite this evidence, Republican-led budget proposals, including President Trump's policy package, seek to cut Medicaid funding, with plans to slash over $700 billion and remove millions from coverage through accelerated work requirements and other restrictions. These cuts have sparked strong opposition from Democrats and healthcare leaders, especially in regions heavily reliant on Medicaid, where they warn the reductions would destabilize local healthcare systems and harm vulnerable populations. The GOP defends the cuts as efforts to eliminate fraud and strengthen the program, but critics argue that the changes will create bureaucratic barriers and lead to significant coverage losses, disproportionately affecting low-income individuals and communities in Republican-held districts. Polling data reveals that Medicaid remains broadly popular across political lines, including among many Republicans, underscoring the political risk of substantial cuts. This political and policy struggle underscores tensions between fiscal objectives and public health imperatives as Congress debates Medicaid's future.