Washington, D.C. – As Congress heads back to the states for the August recess, Protect Our Care is launching the Trump-GOP Health Care Emergency, a month-long campaign holding Donald Trump and Republicans accountable for passing the largest health care cuts in history. The Republican spending bill slashes over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, rips health care away from over 15 million Americans, and raises the cost of health care for millions more just to hand tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations.
The consequences of the Trump-GOP health care emergency are already here. Right now, hospitals, nursing homes, and care facilities across the country are considering service cuts and closures in the wake of these draconian cuts, while some have already closed their doors. Insurers are also announcing higher premium prices for 2026, which will increase costs for 24 million Americans by up to 90 percent more – an average of $700 per family.
“Donald Trump and Republicans just launched the biggest attack on health care in American history and millions of hard-working families will pay the price,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “The damage will be felt in every corner of the country – all so billionaires and big corporations can pocket more tax breaks at the expense of everyday Americans. This is a full-blown health care emergency, and Donald Trump and Republicans are to blame. They lit the match, and now families across the country are being left to burn. This August, we’re taking the fight directly to the people so they know exactly who put their health and lives on the chopping block.”
The campaign will include virtual and in-person events with members of Congress, storytellers, and experts in addition to social media activity, paid ads, and new research. Last week, Protect Our Care launched nationwide radio ads targeting rural areas and hospitals. The campaign will also feature the following theme weeks:
- August 3 – 9: The Trump-GOP Health Care Emergency: War on Your Health Care
- August 10 – 16: The Trump-GOP Health Care Emergency: Higher Costs for Families
- August 17 – 23: The Trump-GOP Health Care Emergency: Ripping Coverage Away from Millions
- August 24 – 30: The Trump-GOP Health Care Emergency: Hospitals in Crisis
BACKGROUND
Here are seven ways the Trump-GOP Health Care Emergency will inflict pain on Americans nationwide:
- Rips Away Health Care From Over 15 Million Americans including seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities, leaving them with nowhere to turn for care or coverage. By cutting over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the Trump spending bill jeopardizes programs that nearly 100 million Americans rely on for their care – all to give trillions in tax breaks to billionaires and hugely profitable companies.
- Hikes Health Care Costs For Over 24 Million Americans by eliminating tax credits that make health care affordable for middle-class families, small business owners, and rural Americans. Countless families are one health care bill away from bankruptcy, but Republicans are planning to increase their health care costs even more. Under Republicans’ plan, families will pay up to 90 percent more for their health care, while billionaires and CEOs get another huge tax break.
- Threatens To Shutter Over 330 Hospitals, 570 Nursing Homes, And Countless Clinics Across The Country. The Trump spending 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. Hospitals from California to Maine are already being forced to cut services and shutter facilities altogether.
- Forces At Least 5.4 Million More People Into Debt. Medical debt already affects 100 million people in America and families losing coverage could see their medical debt increase as much as $22,280. American medical debt is expected to skyrocket by double digits due to the Trump spending bill, resulting in an additional $50 billion of medical debt. This medical debt will jeopardize the ability of millions to buy homes, secure loans, and start small businesses, thanks to Republicans overturning a Biden administration rule that would have prevented medical debt from impacting Americans’ credit scores.
- Drives Up Prescription Drug Costs And Pads Big Pharma’s Profits. Republicans slipped a $5 billion giveaway to Big Pharma into their spending bill which is already loaded with tax breaks for CEOs and greedy corporations like drug companies, meaning Big Pharma’s multimillion-dollar investments at Mar-a-Lago paid big time. Their scheme to exempt drugs that treat rare diseases from drug price negotiation will create a major loophole for drug companies to continue padding their profits by exploiting and price-gouging seniors who rely on these drugs.
- Devastates Local Economies. The GOP cuts to health care are wreaking havoc on local economies by increasing consumers’ health care costs and shuttering hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics which often serve as the economic engines of their communities, especially in rural areas. When rural hospitals close, communities can lose a staggering number of jobs, both within and outside of the health care sector. The closure of one rural hospital can eliminate 220 jobs immediately. Economists estimate that, overall, the GOP spending bill will cost America over 1.2 million jobs and over $150 billion in GDP by 2029.
- Exacerbates Nationwide Doctor Shortages. At a time when the United States faces a physician shortage of over 180,000, Trump and Republicans in Congress have made it nearly impossible for aspiring doctors to afford medical school. The GOP spending bill imposed a steep lifetime limit for federal student loans and eliminated a key graduate school student loan program, making it immensely difficult for the vast majority of Americans to become doctors, all while handing billions in tax breaks to the wealthy.