Medicaid

Washington, D.C. – After voting to slash nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid to fund tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations, Republicans in Congress have doubled down on lies about their budget resolution. The Congressional Budget Office has exposed the truth, proving that GOP budget goals can not be reached without cutting Medicaid. Multiple polls, including one from Trump’s own pollster, have found Americans are opposed to any cuts to Medicaid. But make no mistake: Republicans are gaslighting the American people to try and avoid the backlash they know would follow. 

In response, Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“Republicans are gutless liars, trying to pull the wool over the eyes of their constituents. The so-called moderates have refused to stand up to Donald Trump on behalf of their constituents, leaving them high and dry. Instead, they have chosen to gaslight the American people, saying the cuts will only root out waste, fraud, and abuse, but we know the truth. There is no way to cut $880 billion from Medicaid without throwing millions of people off their health care. This means seniors will be thrown out of nursing homes, kids with disabilities won’t get the support they need, patients fighting cancer won’t be able to afford their treatment – the list goes on and on. When it comes to this budget vote, the only fraud I see is the Republican lawmakers trying to take life-saving health care away from their constituents in order to fund tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.”

Background

The Republican Budget Takes Health Care Away From Working People, Seniors, Veterans, And Children To Give Tax Breaks To The Rich. As the Georgetown Center for Children and Families found, Republicans’ math does not add up. The CBO confirmed that Republicans cannot make their proposed $880 billion in cuts without drastically cutting Medicaid and throwing millions of hardworking families off their coverage, closing rural hospitals, and kicking seniors out of nursing homes. 

FACT CHECK: The House Budget Resolution Orders Nearly $1 Trillion In Targeted Cuts – Nearly All of Which Are “Expected To Come From Medicaid.” As KFF reported, “The House Energy & Commerce Committee (which has jurisdiction over Medicaid) is instructed to reduce the federal deficit by at least $880 billion over 10 years, with nearly all those cuts expected to come from Medicaid.”

Read some of the most egregious lies: 

Ken Calvert (CA-41) released a statement denying that the cuts will impact Medicaid:  “Let me be crystal clear – nothing approved by the House today changes any benefits for our safety net programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans’ benefits.”

Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) published a statement claiming it was a lie that the budget cuts would gut Medicaid: “I voted today, as I did in February, to continue working toward a final federal budget that delivers for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania…As I have said countless times, like President Trump, I won’t support a budget that guts Medicaid, and I have made that clear to House Republican leadership. There will be plenty of fake news reports and fearmongering, claiming that today’s vote guts Medicaid, which is patently false. This is a narrative spun up by professional liars who profit off people’s fears instead of offering real solutions. Shame on those who perpetuate this lie and on those who choose to cover this lie as truth.” 

Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) claimed that the budget cuts will protect Medicaid: “This morning, I voted to pass the Budget Resolution. Let me be clear: the resolution did not make any funding cuts to specific programs. This was just the first step. Now, committees get to work determining the policy substance of the reconciliation package. This is how we secure SALT relief, protect Medicaid, and deliver on the promises made to the American people.”

Young Kim (CA-40) claimed the budget resolution is “Protecting & strengthening key programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, & veterans’ care,” and, “gets us one step closer to getting our country back on the right track for future generations.”

Nick LaLota (NY-01) released a statement claiming that he was committed to protecting Medicaid despite voting for budget cuts: “Before this morning’s vote, the Speaker privately assured a few of my colleagues and me that ongoing discussions with the HFC hadn’t changed his commitment to protecting Medicaid. I was glad to hear him reaffirm that commitment publicly after the vote as well.” He later claimed that “Medicaid reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill will be compassionate: removing illegals, adding work requirements for able-bodied adults, and eligibility checks every 6 months.” 

Mike Lawler (NY-17) claimed back in February that people were “fear-mongering” about Medicaid cuts in the budget resolution: “And let’s clear something up: Some are fear-mongering about Medicaid cuts. Guess what? Medicaid isn’t even mentioned in this resolution. Not once.” Lawler voted for the resolution after promising his constituents in February and March that he would not vote to cut Medicaid. 

David Valadao (CA-22) missed the vote but released a statement in support of the budget resolution. He also baselessly claimed: “I’m happy to hear @SpeakerJohnson remains committed to ensuring our hardworking families have access to Medicaid. As the budget process moves forward, I’ll continue advocating to strengthen critical programs for my constituents in the Central Valley,” and declared, “I’ll only support a final reconciliation bill that strengthens Medicaid, SNAP, and other critical programs that our Valley families rely on.”

Dan Newhouse (WA-04) claimed the Medicaid cuts were delivering for the American people: “Passing the budget resolution unlocks the next step in the reconciliation process allowing Congress to reduce federal spending, lower inflation, and advance a conservative agenda to get our country back on track. It will be no easy task, but Republicans must stay unified to deliver for the American people.”

Millions of Americans across the country rely on Medicaid to see doctors, fill prescriptions, and get the care they need. They are members of our family, our neighbors, and our community. For them, Medicaid is a lifeline.

But Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have made it crystal clear: they’re coming for Medicaid. This week, Republicans are expected to cement their plans to slash nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, threatening the health care of over 70 million Americans. Their plans could rip away health care from children, people with disabilities, seniors in nursing homes, and hardworking families just to hand out more tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations.

These cuts put people’s lives on the line. The stories below come from Americans who know exactly what Medicaid means because they rely on it for critical coverage. They are the ones who suffer when Republicans try to rip coverage away.

Sheila Bingham, 47, Little Rock, AR.

• “The 47-year-old receives both Medicare and Medicaid and is being treated for a rare cancer, debilitating migraines, type 2 diabetes, erratic blood pressure and intense pain. ‘I rely on Medicaid to pay my Medicare premium of $106 a month,’ she told Truthout. ‘I won’t survive if they start taking this out of my $1,400 disability check.’” [Truthout]

Tina Ewing-Wilson, 58, CA.

• “‘If they reduce my budget, that doesn’t change the fact that I need 24-hour care,’ said Ewing-Wilson, who has struggled with seizures and developmental disabilities her entire life. ‘If they cut it too much, people will die or they’ll lose their freedoms.’” [AlterNet]

Jenny McLelland, mother of a 13-year-old boy who has a breathing disability, CA. 

• “For her son, Medi-Cal is ‘a matter of life and death,’ she added. She believes if [Rep. Vince] Fong understood how vital Medi-Cal is to families, he would work to make the system better.” [AlterNet]

Beth Martinko, mother of Josh Lockwood-Wewer, 33, Anaheim, CA.

• “As an adult with severe autism, Lockwood-Wewer depends on around-the-clock support from multiple aides. His caregivers prepare his meals and watch as he eats to make sure he doesn’t choke. They drive him everywhere from doctor’s appointments to his favorite restaurant, a fast food joint called Paul’s Place where he orders two chicken tenders every time. And they administer his regimen of a dozen daily medications to control his psychosis, depression and anxiety.”
• “Martinko said she is doing everything possible to ensure Medicaid funding remains available for the programs that have allowed Lockwood-Wewer to remain healthy and happy at home, because without them, ‘The light would go out in Josh’s life.’” [Inkl]

Amanda Moore, mother of 9-year-old Jackson who has Angelman syndrome, IN.

• “‘Our fear is that any sort of these cuts could impact his medications, it could impact the therapies that you need,’ said Moore, a Hamilton County resident. ‘… if it was left to be covered by private insurance or families? That’s a crisis. Our private insurance covers six therapy sessions a year. He gets five a week in order to give him the quality of life he deserves. So the fear of any of that going away? It’s a terrible thought.’” [Indiana Capital Chronicle]

Emily Johnson, 34, IA. 

• “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.” [The Canary]

Chloe Stovall, 23, Vivian, LA.

• “She said her take-home wage working full time is $200 a week. She doesn’t own a car and walks a mile to work. The store provides health coverage, but she said she won’t qualify until she’s worked there for a full year — and even then, it will cost more than Medicaid, which is free. ‘I’m just barely surviving,’ she said.”
• “Stovall said almost everyone she knows on Medicaid works at least one job. ‘I don’t even own a TV,’ she said.” [KFF Health News]

Doris Luccous, 24, LA.

• “‘Most everybody you know is on Medicaid here,’ said Doris Luccous, 24. Luccous said she makes $250 a week after taxes as a housekeeper at a nursing home while raising her 2-year-old daughter in her childhood home. While shopping with her father — who doesn’t work, because of a disability — she said she counts on Medicaid for her bipolar medicines and to pay for therapy appointments. ‘I don’t know where I would be without it,’ she said.” [KFF Health News]

Benjamin Andrade, 57, LA. 

• “Sitting in a David Raines clinic in Bossier City, Benjamin Andrade, 57, said having Medicaid has been a lifesaver since he needed heart surgery in 2020.”
• “Without Medicaid, he said, ‘it would be very hard for me to pay for all the medicines I take.’” [KFF Health News]

Dominique Youngblood, 31, LA. 

• “Dominique Youngblood, 31, who was at the clinic for a dental checkup, said she’s had Medicaid most of her life. ‘Medicaid helps me so I don’t have to pay out-of-pocket going to the doctors,’ she said.”
• “Asked about GOP efforts to scale back the program, she said, ‘It’s not fair, because it helps a lot of people who cannot afford medications and emergency room trips, and those are costs you can’t control.’” [KFF Health News]

Joel Williams, 61, MN.

• “Joel Williams, a 61-year-old kidney transplant recipient, says he worried about what care will look like for him. Williams was able to receive 11 years of dialysis and pay for multiple daily medications because of Medicaid. ‘He wouldn’t be here today without Medicaid,’ said Josh Horn, his clinical care coordinator RN. Williams, a former Chicago police officer disabled by asthma and diabetes, now depends on the program for specialized transplant care.” [KARE 11]

Rachelle Kivanoski, Brooklyn, NY. 

• “Brooklyn, New York, parent Rachelle Kivanoski is the mother of a 42-year-old son who has an intellectual disability. He has been living in a four-person group home since 2020, and although he currently has both Medicare and Medicaid, Kivanoski told Truthout that she worries that changes might close some programs or diminish the services that he receives. ‘The expectation is that something truly catastrophic will happen,’ she said. ‘So many services are provided by Medicaid here in New York — community day programs, group homes, employment projects.’” [Truthout]

Kelly Smith, 57, New York City, NY. 

• ‘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.’ [Truthout]

Kym Clarine, Bronx, NY. 

• “If she loses Medicaid, she will have to forgo her annual physical exam, and neither she nor her 12-year-old daughter will be able to visit the dentist for regular check-ups. ‘Each visit costs $150 without insurance,’ she said. ‘I can’t afford that.’” [Truthout]

Eshawney Gaston, Durham, NC.

• “She said her daughter requires specialized medical care and physical therapy because of her sickle cell anemia, health care Gaston would not be able to afford without help from Medicaid. ‘We all have to stand up and fight together because health care is a human right,’ Gaston said. ‘People don’t use Medicaid because they want to, I use it because I have to, because I can’t afford to do it on my own, because if I could, I would.’” [NC Newsline]

MaryAnn Ryan, mother to 30-year-old Kelly who has cerebral palsy, Gaston County, NC.

• “MaryAnn Ryan said her family’s Medicaid benefits are ‘very crucial. We started getting services when she was 3 years old,’ MaryAnn Ryan said. ‘They provided caregivers so that I could get out. For her medicine, I have to literally put them in her mouth and make sure she swallows them, cut up her food, help her with bathing, hygiene, you name it.’”
• “‘It could affect us, and I don’t know how,’ MaryAnn Ryan shared. ‘I need an income, and she needs to stay out of an institution, and this is how we make it work. In other words, without Medicaid help, I’d be forced to have her institutionalized. I’m 65. At what point can I no longer take care of her?’” [WCNC]

Carly Durham, mother of Niyah, 11, Richmond, TX. 

• “My 11-year-old daughter, Niyah, has Down syndrome, autism and is a stroke survivor. Medicaid is what allows her to access essential therapies that help her learn to communicate, navigate her environment and develop skills that bring her greater independence. It helps cover in-home support, which makes it possible for our family to function. I can be not only her caregiver but also her mother.”
• “And still, the need outweighs the funding. My 12-year-old son, Carter, also has Down syndrome, but unlike his sister, he doesn’t receive or qualify for Medicaid services in Texas. He has been on the Medicaid waiver waitlist since 2016. His number on the list is 56,034.” [Austin American-Statesman]

Rebecca Powers, Lost Creek, WV.

• “Rebecca Powers, of Lost Creek in Harrison County, was born into addiction. Now, she works as a cashier and clerk and uses Medicaid to pay for the mental health medication and addiction treatment she needs to live a stable life, visiting her kids and taking care of herself. She says without it, it’s likely she will lose her job, lose her home, lose visits with her kids and experience a mental health crisis. ‘To be honest, that scares me to death,’ she said. ‘I make $9 an hour, hardly enough to live.’” [Mountain State Spotlight]

Kim Frederick, mother of Matt, 17, WI. 

• “Frederick’s family has relied on Medicaid to help pay for Matt’s care since he was born. He spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital as an infant. Once he became medically stable, he enrolled in Birth to 3, a program partially funded by Medicaid. The program paid for in-home therapy visits, which Frederick credits with advancing Matt’s speech and motor skills.” 
• “‘(Matt) is always going to need extra support in the community,’ Frederick said. ‘I will do whatever I have to do for Matt, but I can’t replace these well-developed programs.’” [La Crosse Tribune]

Karena Wegner, caretaker of Dana Horstman, Bangor, WI.

• “For Dana Horstman, caregiving is an indispensable part of Medicaid. She has been confined to a wheelchair since 2013 and relies on the caregiving she receives from Karena Wegner, her partner of 25 years.”
• “Without Medicaid, Horstman would be unable to work her day job, which would force Wegner to find work outside the home, requiring a full-time nurse for Wegner.”
• “‘I’m scared,’ Horstman said. ‘I’m really scared that Medicaid is going to be cut and life is going to change for a lot of people. I can’t believe we’re here.’” [La Crosse Tribune]

Tina Pohlman, La Crosse, WI. 

• “She admits to anxiety about whether she’ll continue to have access to life-saving services if Medicaid is cut. ‘I will literally end up in the street,’ Pohlman said. ‘I don’t think I can work full-time.’ She said elected officials have no idea what will happen if Medicaid services are cut. ‘It’s not just me, it’s veterans, it’s everybody,’ Pohlman said. ‘What are they going to do? Push all the nursing home people in their hospital beds out on the bridge? Are they going to set us in the marsh?’” [La Crosse Tribune]

Alex Fisher, 63.

• “‘Medicaid has covered three wrist surgeries, a breast reduction, and my dental and optical care,’ they told Truthout. ‘I’ve been going to rallies and writing and visiting my legislators to express my outrage, but I’m scared that I might lose coverage. As I get older, I know that I’ll need more care, not less, and even when I become eligible for Medicare at age 65, I know that it won’t cover many of the services I need.’” [Truthout]