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HEADLINES: Hospital Crisis Watch: Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and the Impending Hospital Crisis

From rural Nebraska to coastal California and Maine beach towns, cash-strapped medical centers, clinics, hospital wards, and long-term care facilities are already shuttering across the country, straining a health care system that’s buckling under financial pressure. Now, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have made things worse by passing the largest health care cuts in history in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. These cuts are only going to accelerate this crisis, stripping communities of care and gutting local economies. People across the country, including seniors, people with disabilities, expectant mothers, and cancer patients, will have to travel further to get care and experience lengthier wait times in emergency rooms. Hospitals are closing, care is vanishing, and Trump and Republicans own the consequences. 

HEADLINES

TIME: The Big Budget Bill Could Make Your ER a Mess.

  • “A quiet policy change tucked into the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ cuts the provider tax nationwide from 6% to 3.5% over the coming years. That might sound like easy-to-ignore bureaucratic jargon, but for families across America—who trust the ER will be there when a fever spikes or a bone breaks—this change will likely mean dramatically longer waits, overwhelmed doctors, and a system pushed to the brink.”
  • “This legislation’s cut to this tax might look and sound like a simple budget trim. In reality, it’s a wrecking ball. It will slash federal funding, leaving hospitals and nursing homes scrambling. A new analysis by researchers at Brown University’s School of Public Health estimates this bill could force more than 600 nursing homes to close nationwide. That’s 600 places caring for grandparents, stroke survivors, or adults with disabilities. When those doors shut, the whole system jams up—and the fallout lands in your local ER.”

KLKN: Rural Southwest Nebraska Clinic Closes, Blaming Expected Medicaid Cuts.

  • “A clinic in southwest Nebraska announced Wednesday that it is closing due to financial challenges, including anticipated Medicaid cuts. McCook-based Community Hospital said it is shutting down its clinic in Curtis, a town of about 900 people. The Curtis Medical Center has been in operation for more than 30 years.”

News 9: Oklahoma Healthcare Officials Warn Of Rural Hospital Closures Amid Pending Medicaid Cuts.

  • “Last Friday, as part of a statewide video conference, several of Oklahoma’s healthcare leaders warned of the consequences the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act could bring to the state’s hospitals. […] Geister projected that about 500 jobs would be impacted within the OKC Mercy health system.”
  • “Geister said Medicaid is an essential revenue source that keeps rural hospital doors open. ‘You’re gonna see fewer hospitals that deliver babies for all patients,’ Geister said. ‘That means longer drive times for pregnant women who need access to care.’”

KOCO ABC 5: Oklahoma Hospitals Faced Closure Before The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill.’ Medicaid Cuts Amplify Those Fears.

  • “The “big, beautiful bill” was approved by the House of Representatives on Thursday, but cuts to Medicaid could put hospitals and medical services at risk across Oklahoma. Dozens of hospitals across Oklahoma were operating in the negative margins and faced risk of closure even before this bill, according to a report by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. But hospital administrators said the new legislation could speed up that timeline.”
  • “In the report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, there are 47 rural hospitals at risk of closing in Oklahoma. Of those, 23 face an immediate risk of closing. ‘At a maximum, I think it hastens the speed that rural hospitals predominantly would be under pressure of potentially closing,’ said Bennett Geister, president of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City Communities.”
  • “But it isn’t just about job losses. Hospitals across Oklahoma said they could be forced to cut programs, including labor and delivery services. Geister said there are currently only 43 hospitals in the state that provide these services, and 54% of those deliveries rely on Medicaid. ‘If Medicaid gets cut this drastically, you’re going to see fewer hospitals that deliver babies for all patients, and that’s just very simple math,’ Geister said.”

WGME CBS 13: Medicaid Cuts Lead To Rural Maine Hospital Closures And Service Reductions.

  • “Now that President Trump’s big tax bill has passed, analysts are taking a closer look at what major Medicaid cuts will mean for rural hospitals. More than 300 hospitals across the country are now at risk of closing according to the Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina, which tracks hospital closures. Two of those hospitals are here in Maine. The center lists Maine coast memorial hospital in Ellsworth and the Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle. They both made the list because the center says they have operated in the negative for three consecutive years. Maine has seen four hospitals close in the last ten years, the most recent in May, when Inland Hospital in Waterville shut down. Just this week, Inland’s parent company, Northern Light Health, warned it will need to reduce its workforce and cut back on some services partially because of cuts to Medicaid.”
  • “In April, Mainehealth shut down its labor and delivery unit at waldo hospital in Belfast. Two big closures happened in May, Inland Hospital in Waterville closed entirely after initially saying it would only close some services. Houlton Regional Hospital shut down its labor and delivery unit also in May.”

The Fayetteville Observer (Opinion): Rural Maternity Wings In NC Are Closing. More Pain May Be On The Way.

  • “The closures are happening during what is already a challenging time for maternal health care, with federal contributions in overall healthcare funding decreasing with more cuts on the way. The U.S. Congress last week passed a tax bill signed by Donald Trump that will cut around $1 trillion from Medicaid. For rural hospitals, it is a direct threat to their continued survival and a major setback for patient care, including maternity care. More than 23% of women of childbearing age in rural areas are covered by Medicaid, compared to 20.5% of women in metro areas, according to research from Georgetown University, which also found Medicaid covered nearly half of all rural births. The cuts could also close rural hospitals altogether — a fate that has befallen more than 200 such hospitals over the last 20 years, The Washington Post reports.”
  • “The upcoming Medicaid cuts will be another blow against maternity wings and more specialized places for maternal care, barring some other kind of intervention by the state of North Carolina. In this area of care, we are going backward as a state and nation.”

Ventura County Star: ‘A Huge Thing’: Los Robles Hospital Closes Doors On Pediatric Unit.

  • “Ventura County, with a population of about 835,000 people, now has one hospital pediatric unit. Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks closed its 12-bed ward on July 1, leaving the Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura as the sole pediatric unit. The county hospital operates a 16-bed department with more space available if needed.”
  • “The pediatric unit employed 17 people. Merino declined to specify whether layoffs had happened but said meetings were held with all affected employees about possible jobs…”
  • “County Supervisor Jeff Gorell said at a budget meeting in June that he wants the county to continue to have discussions with Los Robles. He too cited the distance families would have to travel from Thousand Oaks to find inpatient pediatric care. ‘It’s 22 miles and could be, with traffic, an hour drive,’ he said. ‘It’s an enormous concern on the East County and we do have an obligation to be involved.’”

St. Louis Business Journal: Des Peres Hospital Closure To Affect Hundreds Of Jobs.

  • “St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital said that 336 employees there, including 210 full-time workers, will be transferred or permanently laid off when the hospital closes in a month, coming after the facility has lost millions of dollars over years.”

The Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Closing University Place Senior Community, Nursing Center.

  • “Memorial Hermann Health System is closing its University Place senior living community and nursing center and laying off more than 80 employees at the southwest Houston facility. […] University Place, located between Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Houston Christian University, has offered one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors since opening in 1988. Its 60-bed nursing center specializes in short-term, post-acute care and long-term care for patients who need around-the-clock care and other medical services.”

The Miami Herald: This Miami-Area Hospital Is Closing Its Maternity Ward. What It Means For Patients.

  • “Expecting parents who live in south Miami-Dade County and plan to give birth at Jackson South Medical Center will soon need to look elsewhere. The public hospital’s labor and delivery unit will be closing in the fall, leaving a large swath of the county that is already underserved with less access to nearby, essential maternal care, the Miami Herald has confirmed.”

ABC 7: West Suburban Medical Center Temporarily Closing Obstetric, Neonatal Units: IDPH.

  • “The Illinois Department of Public Health says West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is temporarily closing its obstetric and neonatal units. The department says it was informed Thursday, and was told the closure is due to a shortage of nurses. But multiple nurses told ABC7 Chicago that they were sent home by the hospital after being told they were placed on indefinite suspension. ‘Even if temporary, this closure is concerning. IDPH will be gathering more information about this action to ensure that the hospital complies with its obligations under the Hospital Licensing Act,’ IDPH said.”

MegaBill Mayhem: Communities Across the Nation Brace for Impact As Trump Signs Devastating Health Care Cuts Into Law

Over the weekend, Donald Trump signed the Republicans’ big, ugly bill into law, solidifying the largest cuts to health care in history. Advocates and everyday Americans have been crying out from coast to coast about the catastrophic effects of the bill. 17 million Americans are set to lose life-saving health care, premiums will skyrocket for middle-class families, rural hospitals will shut their doors, and entire communities will be left behind. The damage will be felt in every corner of the country, all because Republicans wanted to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations.

IN THE STATES

Stateline: States Scramble To Shield Hospitals From GOP Medicaid Cuts.

Alabama Reflector: Cuts to Medicaid Could Devastate Alabama’s Black Belt, Say Researchers

5News: Arkansas Families Brace for Medicaid Cuts as New Federal Law Threatens Coverage for Thousands

Must Read Alaska: Trump Signs Bill Defunding Medicaid Payments to Planned Parenthood. What Does It Mean for Alaska?

KOLD: How Budget Bill Could Impact Healthcare Systems in Southern Arizona

San Francisco Chronicle: How the Record Cuts Coming to Medicaid Could Devastate California Health Care

CBS News: Colorado Medicaid Recipient Fears Losing Coverage After “Big, Beautiful Bill” Passes

Hartford Courant: Rural Hospitals Brace for Financial Hits Under GOP’s $1T Medicaid Cut, Including in CT.

Delaware Online: Opinion: Rep. Sarah McBride: This Is the Agony the Republican Budget Hurls at Delaware

Fox5: Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Could Impact 750K Georgians’ Access to Healthcare

CBS News: President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Threatens Medicaid Access for Millions in Florida, Advocates Warn

USA Today: ‘Attack on Rural America’: Kentucky Governor Hits Medicaid Cuts in Trump’s Megabill

NOLA.com: President Donald Trump’s Budget Bill Cuts Medicaid. Here’s What It Means for Louisiana.

WGME: Medicaid Cuts Lead to Rural Maine Hospital Closures and Service Reductions

CBS News: Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Means Massive Cuts to Medicaid — Here’s How Minnesotans Could Be Affected

Springfield News-Leader: Opinion: We Worked, We Saved, and We Still Needed Medicaid to Save Our Daughter’s Life

KETV: ‘Already Operating in the Red’: Hospitals and Nebraskans Bracing for Cuts to Medicaid

NorthJersey.com: When Will Medicaid Cuts Take Effect in NJ Now That the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Has Passed?

New York Times: ‘Tears My Heart to Pieces’: North Carolina Braces for Medicaid Cuts

News9: Oklahoma Healthcare Officials Warn of Rural Hospital Closures Amid Pending Medicaid Cuts

WLTX: Medicaid Changes Are Coming to SC With Federal Spending Bill. Here Is What You Need to Know.

HEADLINES: Trump, Republicans Jammed Historic Health Care Cuts Into Law Despite Public Outcry

Despite overwhelming public opposition, warnings from experts, doctors, and hospitals, and reams of evidence showing the deadly consequences, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have passed the largest health care cuts in history. The GOP bill guts Medicaid, shreds the Affordable Care Act, and threatens the well-being of millions in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Not only will this bill rip health care from millions of hardworking Americans, it will drive up costs for working families, shutter hundreds of hospitals, leave children with disabilities and people fighting cancer without lifesaving care, and make a record increase in the number of uninsured Americans. The consequences will be devastating, and the responsibility lies squarely with every lawmaker who supported this bill. The headlines below reveal the truth: millions will lose care, chaos will ripple through our system, and the sickest among us will pay the highest price.

Wall Street Journal: How Healthcare Cuts in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Affect Americans

  • “‘The magnitude of these reductions—and the number of individuals who will lose health coverage—cannot be simply dismissed as waste, fraud, and abuse,’ Rick Pollack, president of the American Hospital Association, said after the House narrowly passed the bill.”

The Guardian: Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Are Coming for Rural Americans: ‘It’s Going to Have to Hit Them First’

  • “‘Ultimately, Medicaid being cut is going to kill people,’ said Molly Zenkler, a nurse at Mission hospital in Asheville. ‘I deal with people getting their feet literally amputated because they don’t have access to diabetic care. This is just going to get increasingly worse.’”

Rolling Stone: Trump’s Big Bill Will Make Americans Uninsured Again

  • “That ‘immaterial minutiae,’ experts estimate, could cause as many as 200,000 preventable deaths when Americans can’t access the care or treatments they need, hospitals and nursing homes shut down, and insurance premiums become even more unaffordable.”

AP News: Rural Hospitals Brace for Financial Hits or Even Closure Under Republicans’ $1 Trillion Medicaid Cut

  • “If those facilities close, many locals would see their five-minute trip to Webster County hospital turn into a nearly hour-long ride to the nearest hospital offering the same services. ‘That’s a long way for an emergency,’ Sherman said. ‘Some won’t make it.’”

USA Today: Trump Signs Megabill That Slashes Taxes, Medicaid While Boosting National Debt

  • “CBO projects it will result in 12 million people losing health insurance, while the Senate Joint Economic Committee Minority estimates that about 20 million people could lose coverage. Medicaid is being cut by nearly $1 trillion.”

The Atlantic: Annoying People to Death, Why the Medicaid Work Requirement Is a Terrible Idea

  • “Rather, it will saddle taxpayers with billions of dollars of new costs and low-income Americans with hundreds of millions of hours of busywork. Red tape will cause millions of people to lose health coverage, some of whom will perish because they cannot access care. Republicans are not protecting Medicaid. They are voting to annoy their own constituents to death.”

Forbes: Diagnosing Medicaid Cuts To Hospitals In The One, Big, Beautiful Bill

  • “Hospital and health system workforce reductions directly reduce healthcare access and quality for all patients, residents, destabilize local economies, and create a cycle of declining health and economic outcomes, especially in rural and underserved areas.”

Politico: Republicans Just Cut Medicaid. Will It Cost Them Control of Congress?

  • “‘What we know from past elections is that messing with people’s healthcare coverage is very problematic for politicians. And it has, in the past, yielded some very, very negative views about the people who supported it,’ said Republican pollster Whit Ayres.”

The Bulwark: An Ignominious Bill Passed by an Inglorious Body

  • “The effects of the health care cuts will ripple through communities, because even if you don’t rely on Medicaid or Obamacare you may rely on hospitals that lean heavily on those programs for funding.”

The Conversation: Rural Hospitals Will Be Hit Hard by Trump’s Signature Spending Package

  • “As researchers studying rural health and health policy, we anticipate that these reductions in Medicaid spending, along with changes to the Affordable Care Act, will disproportionately affect the 66 million people living in rural America – nearly 1 in 5 Americans.”

NBC News: How New Medicaid Work Requirements Could Affect Families With Disabled Children

  • “With President Donald Trump’s signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Medicaid recipients will need to meet new nationwide work requirements. NBC News’ Zinhle Essamuah reports on one recipient who relies on the coverage to support her and her son, who has a rare genetic condition.”

Republicans Get Pummeled by Ads After Vote to Slash Medicaid and Rip Health Care From Millions

Trump and Republicans in Congress have passed their Big, Ugly Bill into law, making the largest cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in history in order to fund massive tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations. The bill rips health care from 17 million Americans, including children, seniors, people with disabilities and serious illnesses, and hardworking families who don’t get coverage through their employers. Not only will this bill increase uninsured rates to a level not seen in 15 years, it will raise costs on middle-class families and put hundreds of hospitals and nursing homes at risk of shutting down, resulting in layoffs and leaving local economies and states to suffer. Polling shows this bill is overwhelmingly unpopular across party lines, and yet Republicans jammed it through anyway. Protect Our Care is leading the fight to make sure every American knows who traded their health care, safety, and well-being for tax breaks for billionaires. And our effort won’t stop until every Republican who voted for this devastating bill is held accountable for putting corporations and the top 1 percent over hardworking families. 

Politico Playbook: Trump vs. Musk, Round II 

  • “Not just Elon with the attacks: Protect Our Care, a Democratic health care advocacy group, is preparing a seven-figure ad blitz in 10 House districts, attacking vulnerable Republicans who vote for the GOP tax bill passage, POLITICO’s Elena Schneider writes in. The ads, which won’t air until after the megabill passes the House, hammer Republicans for “the biggest cut to Medicaid in history.””

CNN: The Battle To Sway Voters Over Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Begins 

  • “A collection of Democratic outside groups – including Save My Care, Protect Our Jobs, Unrig Our Economy and others – are set to spend several million dollars between the beginning of July and the end of the year, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, targeting about a dozen key seats. Many were on the air throughout June and have continued launching new attack spots amid the legislative wrangling this week.
  • A research report commissioned by one of those groups, Protect Our Care, and obtained by CNN, showed survey results for ads across 11 battleground districts, aiming for movement among 2024 Trump voters and swing voters and developing content “effective at lowering the job approval of Republican incumbents.””

Philadelphia Inquirer: Medicaid Cuts Could Become An Issue For These Swing-District Pa. Republicans — And Democrats See An Opportunity 

  • “Seven groups, including Protect Our Care, House Majority Fund, and the AARP, already have TV ads up in swing districts, including in Pennsylvania, blasting Republicans who support the bill.”

The Washington Post: Trump Has Expanded White House Power. Will Democrats Use It?

  • “Democratic organizations, including Unrig Our Economy, Protect Our Care and the League of Conservation Voters, began airing ads attacking the bill since its passage, and many of the spots directly target vulnerable Republicans who voted for the legislation.”
  • “They crowned Trump king. Democrats won’t wear the crown — they’ll melt it down,” said Jesse Ferguson, a longtime Democratic operative. “Republicans didn’t just break the rules for Trump; they burned the rule book. Now they’re going to have to deal when someone else comes along to write a better one.”

CNN: Republican Plans To Overhaul Medicaid Are Already Shaking Up The 2026 Midterms 

  • “It is crazy politics for them to do this,” said Brad Woodhouse, a longtime Democratic operative and executive director of Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy group that launched a $10 million campaign this year to oppose Medicaid cuts. “Everyone is going to be unhappy with this bill, unless you’re a very high net worth individual: a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, a billionaire, or a large corporation.”

Politico: The Megabill Is Law. What’s next?

  • “‘If your home burns down, you blame the arsonists. You don’t blame the firefighters,’ said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. ‘The challenge for Democrats is keeping the focus on the arsonist who lit the match’ between now and the 2026 midterms, he explained.”

Semafor Principals: All Night Long 

  • “The Democrat health care advocacy group Protect Our Care is readying a seven-figure ad campaign attacking 10 vulnerable House Republicans who support the GOP’s megabill (assuming the Senate version passes the House).”

PoliticsPA Playbook: Evans: ‘The Honor of My Life’ 

  • “Protect Our Care, a Democratic health care advocacy group, is preparing a seven-figure ad blitz in 10 House districts (including PA-01, 07, 08), attacking vulnerable Republicans who vote for the GOP tax bill passage.”

Puck News: The Latest Modifications to the Senate Version of the BBB 

  • “Since House Republicans passed their version of the bill on May 22, Democrat-aligned groups, including Unrig Our Economy and Save My Care, have spent about $5 million on television and radio ads alone, according to a Democratic ad tracking firm, attacking Republicans for cutting Medicaid—a hefty sum so early in a nonelection year.”

The Bulwark: Trump’s About to Slash Medicaid. TV News Has Barely Noticed. 

  • “Today’s legislation may be even less popular than the Obamacare repeal was, based on the available polling. But it’s also a series of smaller, technical-sounding changes that are easier for Republicans to distort. And it’s competing with countless other Trump-generated controversies for space in the news cycle. The groups that traditionally fight for health care access like FamiliesUSA and Protect Our Care have been making their best effort—staging rallies, holding virtual press conferences, and buying up ad spots. (I heard one on the Joe Rogan show Tuesday.)”

Common Dreams: Sanders Says Every Republican Who Backed Trump-GOP Budget ‘Must Pay a Price at the Ballot Box’.

  • “Analysts and advocates expect the legislation to inflict major damage across the country, shuttering rural hospitals, stripping health coverage and food aid from millions, raising costs for Medicare recipients, and devastating local economies. Some of the pain will be concentrated in swing districts currently represented by Republican supporters of the budget package. For example, 64% of Rep. David Valadao’s (R-Calif.) constituents in California’s 22nd Congressional District rely on Medicaid. Valadao is one of 10 Republicans targeted by an ad push that the advocacy group Protect Our Care launched following Thursday’s vote in the House. The other targeted lawmakers are Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.), and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.).”
  • “Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, said in a statement that ‘these Republicans just voted for the largest healthcare cuts in history in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, and we’re going to make sure that every single one of their constituents knows it.’ ‘These Republicans betrayed their constituents and working Americans’ healthcare for billionaire tax cuts,’ Woodhouse added, ‘and we’re ready to go from the grassroots to the airwaves until every last one of them is held accountable.’”

Trump Deals Fatal Blow to the American People, Signs Law That Strips Millions of Health Care

17 Million Americans Will Lose Coverage, Uninsured Rate Will Explode Due to GOP Tax Scam

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed his big, ugly tax bill into law, sealing the fate of the American health care system. The GOP bill makes the largest health care cuts in history, which will drive up costs for hard-working families and rip coverage from millions. 17 million Americans will lose life-saving health care, premiums will skyrocket for middle class families, rural hospitals will shut their doors, and entire communities will be left behind — all because Republicans wanted to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. 

Despite overwhelming public outcry, Republicans pushed forward with a bill that prioritizes profits over people and cruelty over care. Polling shows that the American people overwhelmingly oppose these cuts, with 55 percent of voters saying they would not support officials who voted to cut Medicaid. They won’t forget who caused this suffering. The consequences will be devastating, and the responsibility lies squarely with those who supported this bill.

“With the stroke of a pen, Trump and Republicans have turned their backs on the American people,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “They ignored overwhelming public opposition, rejected the pleas of state officials, hospitals, and doctors, and instead cemented a law that will make it impossible for millions of people to access the care they need. They’ve sentenced cancer patients to go without treatment, parents to choose between groceries and medicine, and seniors to be forced out of nursing homes, all so billionaires and big corporations can get richer. Every Republican who stood behind this draconian bill owns what happens next: the pain, the chaos, the lives lost. They didn’t just fail the American people – they betrayed them.”

NEW ADS: Protect Our Care Launches Ads Following GOP Vote for Biggest Health Care Cuts in History to Fund Billionaire Tax Breaks

These Ads Are Only The Beginning As Protect Our Care Makes Sure That Every American Knows Republicans Voted to Decimate American Health Care 

Watch the ads here.

Washington, D.C. – Protect Our Care is launching new ads in 10 Congressional Republican districts calling out their votes to pass the largest Medicaid cuts in history in order to fund massive tax breaks for the wealthiest people and corporations. This seven-figure ad campaign will hold lawmakers accountable for voting to slash the health care that over 100 million Americans count on in order to make the already-rich even richer. Because of them, millions of seniors, children, people with disabilities, and hardworking families will lose coverage and care, while hospitals and nursing homes shut down, working families face higher costs, thousands lose jobs, and states and local economies are left to suffer.

“These Republicans just voted for the largest health care cuts in history in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, and we’re going to make sure that every single one of their constituents knows it,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “Not only will this bill rip health care from millions of hardworking Americans, it will drive up costs on the middle class, shutter hundreds of hospitals, leave children with disabilities and people fighting cancer without lifesaving care, and make a record increase in the number of uninsured Americans.”

“These Republicans betrayed their constituents and working Americans’ health care for billionaire tax cuts and we’re ready to go from the grassroots to the airwaves until every last one of them is held accountable.”

The ads will launch in the following districts: David Schweikert (AZ-01), David Valadao (CA-22), Young Kim (CA-40), Ken Calvert (CA-41), Nick LaLota (NY-01), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and Dan Newhouse (WA-04). The ads will run across high impact streaming platforms like Roku and YouTube and are a part of Protect Our Care’s ongoing $10-million-dollar “Hands Off Medicaid” campaign. 

Links to each of the 30-second ads can be found below:

David Schweikert (AZ-01)
David Valadao (CA-22)
Young Kim (CA-40)
Ken Calvert (CA-41)
Nick LaLota (NY-01)
Andrew Garbarino (NY-02)
Mike Lawler (NY-17)
Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07)
Rob Bresnahan (PA-08)
Dan Newhouse (WA-04)

Sample Ad Script for AZ-01:

Narrator: Republicans in Congress promised not to cut Medicaid. But then…

Speaker Mike Johnson: “The bill is passed.” 

Narrator: It’s the biggest cut to Medicaid in history. And Congressman David Schweikert just supported it. More than thirteen million Americans could lose health care – seniors, veterans, and children with disabilities.

Why’d he do it? 

To give another huge tax break to billionaires and big corporations. Tell Congressman Schweikert – we can’t afford to have our health care taken away. Not now. Not ever.

BREAKING: House Republicans Vote to Tear Down America’s Health Care System, Ripping Away Care From 17 Million 

Washington, D.C. — Republicans in the House just voted to strip 17 million Americans of their health care in order to fund massive tax breaks for the wealthiest people and corporations. This is the largest attack on health care in history, and the consequences will be catastrophic. Not only will millions lose life-saving coverage, but hospitals and nursing homes will shut down, working families will face higher costs, thousands will lose jobs, and states and local economies will be left to suffer. These drastic cuts will bring uninsured rates back to a level not seen since before the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

“Republicans just handed out a death sentence to the American people,” said Protect Our Care’s Chair Leslie Dach. “They knew exactly what this bill would do and passed it anyway, selling out their constituents to make the rich even richer. The damage will be felt in every corner of the country – families will be thrown off coverage, children will lose access to care, hospitals and nursing homes will shut their doors, entire communities will be left behind, and people will die. Every member who voted ‘yes’ just booked a one-way ticket out of Congress, and no amount of lies can save them from their constituents.”

BACKGROUND:

Here are five key ways the GOP tax scam will decimate health care for Americans:

  1. Republicans will cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for handouts to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. The big, ugly bill will destroy the pillars of American health care with the largest cuts to health care in history, jeopardizing programs that nearly 100 million Americans rely on for their care – all to give trillions in tax breaks to billionaires and hugely profitable companies. To top it off, Republicans battled the Senate parliamentarian to sneak in a $5 billion giveaway to drug companies at the ninth hour, driving up the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and taxpayers.
  2. Republicans will rip away health care from 17 million Americans, including seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities, leaving them with nowhere to turn for treatment for cancer or diabetes. According to new estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, roughly a million more people will lose health care coverage under the Senate-passed bill. 
  3. Republicans will hike premiums through the roof for over 20 million Americans by eliminating tax credits that make health care affordable for middle-class families, small business owners, and rural Americans. Premiums will nearly double on average for 22 million Americans, and out-of-pocket costs will skyrocket for millions more, leaving 5 million additional Americans uninsured and unable to see a doctor when they need to.
  4. Republicans could shutter over 330 rural hospitals and 570 nursing homes across the country. The GOP bill will cut hundreds of billions in critical funding for hospitals and nursing homes, bury them under the burden of uncompensated care, and force hundreds to close their doors. Expectant mothers will be forced to travel further to get to the nearest maternity ward. Patients will have to travel hundreds of miles to get to an emergency room. Seniors will be forced to leave their nursing homes.
  5. Republicans will force at least 5.4 million more people into medical debt. Medical debt already affects 100 million people in America. 17 million people are expected to lose coverage due to GOP proposals and families losing coverage could see their medical debt increase as much as $22,280. American medical debt is expected to skyrocket by 15 percent, resulting in an additional $50 billion of medical debt.

IN THE NEWS: Senate Advances the Biggest Blow to Health Care With Trump Budget Bill

Senate Republicans voted to pass their Big, Ugly Bill, bringing us one step closer to solidifying the largest cuts to health care in history. The bill will fund massive tax breaks for the wealthiest people and corporations by stripping 17 million Americans of their health care. Not only will this bill set back uninsured rates to a level not seen in 15 years, it will force hundreds of hospitals and nursing homes to shut down, causing layoffs and hurting local economies across the country. Children, seniors, people with disabilities and serious illnesses, and hardworking families are all at risk of losing access to lifesaving health care coverage. 

Despite widespread opposition and polling that finds this bill overwhelmingly unpopular across party lines, Senate Republicans rammed it through anyway, increasing the cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to over $1 trillion. Coverage makes clear that Republicans are putting billionaires over hardworking families struggling to make ends meet. Now, House Republicans have one more chance to stand up for the hardworking Americans they represent, not billionaires, and reject this health care killer bill.

NPR: 5 Ways Trump’s Tax Bill Will Limit Health Care Access

  • “The deepest cuts to health care spending come from a proposed Medicaid work requirement, which would cut off coverage for millions of enrollees who do not meet new employment or reporting standards… State experiments with work requirements have been plagued with administrative issues, such as eligible enrollees losing coverage over paperwork problems, and budget overruns.”
  • “The GOP’s plan would curtail a practice, known as provider taxes, that nearly every state has used for decades to increase Medicaid payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other providers and to private managed-care companies… Rural hospitals typically operate on thin profit margins and rely on Medicaid tax payments to sustain them. Researchers from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research who examined the House bill concluded it would push more than 300 rural hospitals — many of them in Kentucky, Louisiana, California and Oklahoma — toward service reductions or closure.”
  • “Those on Medicaid will pay more to see the doctor… The bill would require states that have expanded Medicaid to charge enrollees up to $35 for some services if their incomes are between the federal poverty level (this year, $15,650 for an individual) and 138% of that amount ($21,597). Medicaid enrollees often don’t pay anything when seeking medical services because studies have shown charging even small copayments prompts low-income people to forgo needed care.”

The New York Times: Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

  • “On average, that translates to about $560 in losses for someone who reports little to no income by 2034, and more than $118,000 in gains for someone making over $3 million, the report found… The disparity owes largely to the fact that Republicans aim to pay for their tax cuts by slashing programs for the poor, including Medicaid and food stamps. The cuts amount to one of the largest retrenchments in the federal safety net in a generation. But the savings they generate only offset a fraction of the total cost of the bill, which is expected to add more than $3 trillion to the federal debt by 2034.”

CNBC: Medicaid Cuts in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Leave Millions Uninsured, Threaten Rural Hospitals

  • “Recent changes to the bill would cut roughly $1.1 trillion in health-care spending and result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance over the next decade, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.”
  • “Trump’s bill combined with separate policy changes could result in an estimated 17 million people losing health insurance, said Robin Rudowitz, director of the program on Medicaid and the uninsured at health policy research organization KFF. She said those other changes include new regulations that would dramatically limit access to Affordable Care Act Marketplace coverage and expiring enhanced ACA tax credits.”

The Washington Post: At Least 17 Million Americans Would Lose Insurance Under Trump Plan

  • “The Senate version of President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration spending plan would wipe out many of the strides made by the Affordable Care Act in reducing the number of uninsured Americans, resulting in at least 17 million Americans losing their health coverage, according to nonpartisan estimates and experts.”
  • “[T]he Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured in 2034, mostly because of Medicaid cuts, compared with 10.9 million if the House version became law.”
  • “[B]oth versions of the bill would allow pandemic-era enhanced subsidies for health insurance through ACA marketplaces to expire at the end of the year, sharply raising out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans. The CBO estimates that 4.2 million people would lose insurance as a result. An additional 1 million are likely to become uninsured because of a combination of other Trump administration cuts and the Republican legislation, according to the CBO.”
  • “The Republican bill, if enacted, would mark the biggest cut to Medicaid in the program’s nearly 60-year history and the biggest reduction in federal funding for the social safety net since at least the 1990s. The Senate version would cut $1.1 trillion of federal spending for Medicaid, Medicare and the ACA marketplaces, with Medicaid accounting for more than $1 trillion of the cuts.”

The Patriot-News: More Than 310K PA Residents Could Lose Medicaid Benefits Under GOP Tax Bill.

  • “The bill would also impact residents who purchase health insurance through Pennie, the state’s health insurance marketplace. The legislation does not extend enhanced premium tax credits available to Pennsylvanians who purchase health insurance through Pennie. The Shapiro administration calculates that an additional 270,000 Pennsylvanians could lose coverage.”
  • “Approximately three million Pennsylvanians receive healthcare coverage from Medicaid. The GOP bill is expected to increase Pennsylvania’s uninsured population by about 400,000 people, according to estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Pennsylvania Health Access Network. The legislation could leave healthcare providers facing an increase in unpaid services, with estimates as high as 750 million dollars.”

The Times Union: NY Hospitals, Health Experts Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Medicaid Impacts.

  • “They include nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal and state health insurance program, which New York health officials have warned will translate to billions of dollars in losses to state health care facilities, as well as having ripple effects for jobs in that industry.”
  • “[U]p to 1.5 million New Yorkers are set to lose health insurance by 2027 under newly imposed restrictions on eligibility, including cutting off coverage entirely for roughly 225,000 non-U.S. citizens because of their immigration status. The state has estimated that 1.2 million residents will lose coverage under work requirements as well as a provision that would compel states to recertify that Medicaid recipients are eligible every six months. Critics have called that provision onerous and said it would cause more people to unknowingly fall off the Medicaid rolls. Hospitals and health care facilities in New York will experience an $8 billion cut, according to hospital leaders.”

HEADLINES: Republicans Pass Disastrous Budget That Will Strip Health Care Away From Millions 

Senate Republicans just voted to pass their Big, Ugly Bill, moving the legislation forward to the House. The bill funds massive tax breaks for the richest people and corporations by cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act — the largest cut to health care in American history. Republicans just voted to rip health care from 17 million Americans including children, seniors, people with disabilities and serious illnesses, and hardworking families who don’t get coverage through their employers. Not only will this bill set back uninsured rates to a level not seen in 15 years, it will force hundreds of hospitals and nursing homes to shut down, causing layoffs and hurting local economies across the country. 

Despite widespread opposition and polling that finds this bill is overwhelmingly unpopular across party lines, Senate Republicans voted it forward anyway. At a time when too many families already struggle to make ends meet, now is the time for so-called Republican moderates to stand up for hardworking Americans instead of billionaires, and reject such extreme health care cuts.

The Hill: Senate Megabill Marks Biggest Medicaid Cuts In History

  • “Senate Republicans on Tuesday passed the largest cuts to Medicaid since the program began in the 1960s, a move that would erode the social safety net and cause a spike in the number of uninsured Americans over the next decade. The tax and spending bill is projected to cost more than $3 trillion during that time, but would be partially paid for with about $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid. Almost 12 million lower-income Americans would lose their health insurance by 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office… experts and health advocates say the CBO analysis confirms that despite Trump’s repeated pledges to only cut waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, the legislation would enact an unprecedented reduction in the program currently used by more than 70 million low-income Americans.”

NPR: Senate GOP Passes Trump’s Sweeping Policy Bill, Setting Up Decisive Vote In The House

  • “The bill would extend the tax cuts that were passed by Republicans in 2017, preventing a potential hike in rates at the end of this year when the current provisions are set to expire. Republicans are offsetting some of those costs… with major changes to Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that provides health care for roughly 70 million low-income, elderly and disabled Americans. Early estimates suggest around 11 million people could lose coverage under the GOP bill.”
  • “[Senator Susan] Collins wrote in a statement. ‘My vote against this bill stems primarily from the harmful impact it will have on Medicaid, affecting low-income families and rural health care providers like our hospitals and nursing homes.’”

STAT: Senate Passes Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill That Would Slash Medicaid Spending

  • “Medicaid cuts make up the lion’s share of the estimated $1.1 trillion in health care spending reductions that help pay for the tax cuts… Altogether, the bill would enact the largest cuts to federal health care spending in history, and the most sweeping changes for the industry since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act. The Senate bill would lead to 11.8 million people losing health insurance over the next decade, CBO said Saturday night, nearly 1 million more people than projections for the House’s version of the bill. The higher enrollment losses in the Senate version are the result of more aggressive Medicaid funding cuts than the House bill.”

Politico: Lisa Murkowski Says It Was ‘Agonizing’ To Vote For The Megabill 

  • “The Alaska senator slammed the breaks on the legislation overnight but ultimately voted to advance it after winning key concessions for her state…But Murkowski touted changes she secured to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that would allow for “greater flexibility” for Alaska and extra support for rural hospitals “that is going to be very key.””

Rolling Stone: Senate Republicans Pass Trump’s Bill To Strip Health Care From Millions

  • “Senate Republicans have passed President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sprawling legislative package that is expected to kick millions off their health insurance, codify big tax cuts for the wealthy, give a massive funding boost to the administration’s mass deportation efforts, and screw over the nation’s poor with cuts to social services… The vote was 50-50, but Vice President J.D. Vance broke the tie. Republican Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) broke with their party and voted no on the legislation. Tillis announced earlier this week that he would not be seeking reelection after Trump said he would work to primary him amid his opposition to the bill.”

Axios: Senate Passes Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” After 11th-Hour Panic

  • “The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would add roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years… CBO also estimates the changes to Medicaid would result in nearly 12 million fewer people with health insurance over the next decade.”
  • “It makes significant changes to the Medicaid program, including imposing work requirements and eventually lowering provider taxes from 6% to 3.5%.”

AP News: Senate Passes Trump’s Big Tax Breaks And Spending Cuts Bill As Vance Breaks 50-50 Tie

  • “It would impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements on able-bodied people, including some parents and older Americans, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states.”

The Guardian: Senate Republicans Pass Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill, Clearing Major Hurdle

  • “To satisfy demands from fiscal conservatives for cuts to America’s large federal budget deficit, the bill imposes new work requirements on enrollees of Medicaid, which provides healthcare to low income and disabled Americans… ‘It is inescapable this bill will betray the promise Donald Trump made,’ Tillis said on Sunday. Pointing to a forecast that the bill would cost 663,000 North Carolinians their Medicaid coverage, Tillis said: ‘What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there any more, guys?’”

NBC News: Senate Republicans Narrowly Pass Trump Megabill After Marathon Voting Session

  • “Voting against the final bill, alongside all 47 Democrats, were Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine. Paul opposed the bill because it would add trillions of dollars to the deficit, while Tillis and Collins feared the cuts to Medicaid were too steep.”
  • “It includes a surge of new funding… to carry out Trump’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation plans. It aims to pay for some of that with hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid…”
  • “Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., who represents a swing district, slammed the Senate bill’s more aggressive Medicaid funding cuts. ‘I’ve been clear from the start that I will not support a final reconciliation bill that makes harmful cuts to Medicaid, puts critical funding at risk, or threatens the stability of healthcare providers across CA-22,’ Valadao wrote on X over the weekend.”

New York Post: Senate Passes Trump’s Sweeping “Big Beautiful’ Agenda Bill, Sending It To The House For High-Stakes Showdown

  • “After more than a month of deliberation, the Senate modified the House version of the legislation to extend business tax reductions, deepen cuts to Medicaid, [and] increase the debt limit by $5 trillion… leadership agreed to deepen cuts to Medicaid from the version that passed the lower chamber last month, assuaging [Speaker] Johnson’s concerns.”

Washington Post: Senate Passes Trump’s Tax Bill, Sending It To House For Final Passage

  • “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) repeatedly vowed the bill would not pass without deeper spending cuts. Instead, the Senate Finance Committee wrote a bill hundreds of billions of dollars more expensive than the House’s, and simultaneously more punitive toward Medicaid. That sent Tillis to the floor outraged with his party over he what he described as a ‘betrayal’ of constituents on the federal health insurance program. ‘The effect of this bill is to break a promise,’ Tillis bellowed Sunday on the Senate floor. ‘What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years,’ he added, ‘when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore?’

IN THE STATES

Maine Public: Senate Budget Bill Passes; Healthcare Providers Say Patient Health Will Suffer If House Votes Yes

  • “The Senate Budget Reconciliation Bill, passed Tuesday, eliminates Medicaid reimbursements to healthcare providers who perform abortions. It now goes to the House for a vote. The president and CEO of Maine Family Planning is warning that House passage of the Budget Reconciliation Bill will result in a delay or loss of services for MaineCare patients who will be forced to pay out of pocket for contraception and other reproductive care. A nonprofit, Maine Family Planning provides services to about 40,000 Maine residents, half of whom rely on MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.”

Maine Public: Sen. Susan Collins Opposes Trump Policy Bill, But GOP-Led Senate Passes It Anyway

  • “In a statement, Collins said she supported the bill’s extension of the Trump tax breaks from 2017. But she said its Medicaid cuts would cost Maine $5.9 billion over 10 years, threatening the sustainability of the program, its 400,000 beneficiaries and the rural hospitals that treat them.”

CT Mirror: CT Senators Cite A ‘Catastrophe’ As Senate Passes Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

  • “…even some Republicans are raising concerns about the effects of the bill, as evidenced by GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina saying he’ll vote no and deciding to retire amid Trump’s threat to back a primary challenger against him. Tillis pointed to the deep cuts to Medicaid that could hit his home state.”
  • “To pay for these tax provisions, the bill includes steep spending cuts, which would have a direct impact on some safety net programs and state finances…The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which analyzes and scores federal legislation, estimated that about 138,000 people could lose Medicaid coverage in Connecticut, with the higher end of enrollment loss up to 172,000. That estimate is based off of the House version of the bill.”

The American Prospect: Senate Passes Megabill as Murkowski Stays Bought

  • “By the thinnest of margins, the U.S. Senate completed work on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Tuesday morning, after Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) decided that she could live with a bill that takes food and medicine from vulnerable people to fund tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy… Medicaid provisions that would have boosted the federal share of the program for Alaska didn’t get through the parliamentarian; even a handwritten attempt to help out Alaska on Medicaid was thrown out at the last minute.”
  • “The wraparound amendment also doubled the size of the rural hospital fund to $50 billion. The Senate leadership’s initial offer on this fund was $15 billion. Overnight the Senate rejected an amendment from Collins that would have raised the rural hospital fund to $50 billion. Even at that size—which will be parceled out for $10 billion a year for five years—it hardly makes up for nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, which are permanent. The hospital system is expected to buckle as a result of this legislation, if it passes.”

Senate Rams Through Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, Ripping Coverage from Millions to Fund Tax Breaks for Wealthy

The GOP’s Tax Scam Represents the Largest Cuts to Health Care in American History 

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Republicans voted to pass, barely, Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill, which will fund massive tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals and corporations by ripping health care from 17 million Americans and slashing Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Despite widespread opposition from the American people, including voters across the political spectrum, Senate Republicans voted to pass the deepest cuts to health care in American history. In response, Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“Today, by the thinnest of margins, Senate Republicans voted to pass the biggest, ugliest bill in history. Republican Senators just voted to kick seniors out of nursing homes, rip health care away from disabled children, close rural hospitals, and snatch coverage away from 17 million Americans, all so Donald Trump and Republicans can give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. It’s a disgusting display of political chutzpah from a party that bullshitted its way through the last election proclaiming they would look out for working families and help make life more affordable for ordinary Americans.

It’s the lie of the decade, but one that will blow up on Republicans once millions of Americans realize their health care was ripped away so more billionaires can rent out entire European cities for lavish weddings. As this bill moves back to the House for a final vote, the choice for so-called Republican moderates is clear: protect the health care of the people you serve or give tax breaks to billionaires.”

BACKGROUND:

Here are five key ways the GOP tax scam will decimate health care for Americans:

  1. Republicans will cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for handouts to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. The big, ugly bill will destroy the pillars of American health care with the largest cuts to health care in history, jeopardizing programs that nearly 100 million Americans rely on for their care – all to give trillions in tax breaks to billionaires and hugely profitable companies. To top it off, Republicans battled the Senate parliamentarian to sneak in a $5 billion giveaway to drug companies at the ninth hour, driving up the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and taxpayers.
  2. Republicans will rip away health care from 17 million Americans, including seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities, leaving them with nowhere to turn for treatment for cancer or diabetes. According to new estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, roughly a million more people will lose health care coverage under the Senate-passed bill.
  3. Republicans will hike premiums through the roof for over 20 million Americans by eliminating tax credits that make health care affordable for middle-class families, small business owners, and rural Americans. Premiums will nearly double on average for 22 million Americans and out-of-pocket costs will skyrocket for millions more, leaving 5 million additional Americans uninsured and unable to see a doctor when they need to.
  4. Republicans could shutter over 330 rural hospitals and 570 nursing homes across the country. The GOP bill will cut hundreds of billions in critical funding for hospitals and nursing homes, bury them under the burden of uncompensated care, and force hundreds to close their doors. Expectant mothers will be forced to travel further to get to the nearest maternity ward. Patients will have to travel hundreds of miles to get to an emergency room. Seniors will be forced to leave their nursing homes.
  5. Republicans will force at least 5.4 million more people into medical debt. Medical debt already affects 100 million people in America. 17 million people are expected to lose coverage due to GOP proposals and families losing coverage could see their medical debt increase as much as $22,280. American medical debt is expected to skyrocket by 15 percent, resulting in an additional $50 billion of medical debt.