Advocates are urging Senate Republicans to reject a proposal that would cut billions from American healthcare to extend tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. The proposed cuts target Medicaid, the public health insurance programme for low-income and disabled people, which covers 71 million Americans.
The Senate version of the so-called 'big beautiful bill' makes deeper cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act plans than the House-passed bill, by expanding paperwork requirements and making it harder for states to fund coverage. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the House version would leave 16 million people without health insurance by 2034, but the Senate proposal is considered even more draconian.
Anthony Wright of Families USA said the Senate bill is 'worse in many ways' than the House version. David Machledt of the National Health Law Program argued the cuts target the most cost-efficient programme, squeezing it further to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. A recent study found that expanding Medicaid under the Obama administration saved an estimated 27,400 lives over 12 years.
Republicans, including Senator John Thune, argue the bill 'protects' Medicaid by removing ineligible individuals, including working-age adults and immigrants, and by adding work requirements. However, experts say such requirements cause people to lose coverage even if eligible. The Senate bill also caps a decades-old financing mechanism used by every state except Alaska, potentially creating multibillion-dollar shortfalls.
