Republicans just advanced plans for the largest cut to Medicaid in history

The GOP’s Proposal to Slash Health Care Will Feed Corporate Greed and Hurt Millions 

On May 14, Republicans advanced plans for the largest ever cut to Medicaid and gutted critical pieces of the ACA. The cruel proposal will kick almost 14 million people off their health care while giving massive tax cuts to corporations, the CEOs of Big Insurance and billionaires.

It’s a devastating plan that would terminate care for nearly 14 million people, including older adults in long-term care, people with disabilities, veterans, caregivers, as well as families and individuals with low-incomes or inconsistent or unreliable work. Don’t believe the spin, it’s not reform—it’s a massive cut to the program. And it’s not about abuse or waste—it’s about stripping care to protect profit.

And Community Catalyst is helping lead the fight to stop it. And Community Catalyst is helping lead the fight to stop it.

What’s at Stake 

This bill doesn’t just attack Medicaid—it’s a sweeping attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), undoing years of collective progress to make health care more affordable and accessible.

It would also: 

• Impose unnecessary and burdensome work requirements that take coverage away from women, people over the age of 65, and people with chronic conditions;
• Slash Medicaid coverage for reproductive and maternal care, especially harming Black and Latinx communities;
• Make it harder to enroll and stay seamlessly enrolled in Medicaid and Marketplace plans by adding unnecessary paperwork and limiting special enrollment;
• Reopen the door to discrimination against immigrants and those seeking gender-affirming care; and
• Strip coverage to fund tax breaks for billionaires and corporate health care profiteers.

The harm would fall hardest on Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ people; caregivers, low-wage workers, and rural residents. These are the same communities who have long borne the brunt of racism, classism and other forms of oppression in our health system—and now, they’re being targeted again to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest.

“The end goal is clear: slash the programs that keep our communities healthy—especially for those already harmed the most—while doing nothing to rein in the corporate profiteering driving up costs,” said Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy at Community Catalyst. 
“The result? Closed hospitals, more medical debt, and worse health outcomes—especially in communities already facing deep inequities.”

Five Attacks on Our Health Disguised as Policy 

This isn’t just one bad idea—it’s an agenda full of harmful proposals: 

1. Medicaid Work Requirements 

Most Medicaid enrollees are already working, caregiving, or living with health conditions. These requirements add bureaucracy, waste taxpayer money, and strip coverage from those who need it most.

2. Enrollment Barriers 

Limiting enrollment windows and adding additional, unnecessary eligibility verifications would block access to care as a result of bureaucratic hold ups and administrative errors—especially for those facing job changes, caregiving responsibilities, or language barriers.

3. Attacks on Gender-Affirming Care 

Prohibiting the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care puts lives at risk and undermines trust in the health system. It’s discriminatory, dangerous, and out of step with evidence-based medicine.

4. Threats to Reproductive and Maternal Care

Medicaid covers 4 in 10 births in the U.S. These cuts would reduce access to prenatal care, shutter maternity wards, and target providers of comprehensive reproductive services—especially harming Black and Latinx communities already facing the worst health outcomes. 

5. Scapegoating Immigrants 

Restricting care for immigrants undermines public health and safety. Cutting immigrants out of the safety net will end up hurting families and communities, since 1 in 4 kids in the U.S. has an immigrant parent. Immigrants are also caregivers, essential workers, and neighbors. When they’re denied care, we all suffer.

Our Collective Power Is Working 

Thanks to the voices of advocates, caregivers, and people like you, lawmakers are already weeks behind schedule. That’s not luck—that’s people power.

Here’s what Community Catalyst and our 350+ partners have already made possible:

• 33,000 people signed petitions to stop these cuts
• 2,653 people contacted their members of Congress
• 5,500+ stories shared about navigating medical debt and losing coverage
• Dozens of storytellers, like Beyssa in Florida, met with lawmakers during our #CareNotCollections Day of Action to demand change

A Turning Point for Health Justice 

We’ve seen this playbook before: divide us by race, place, or income—and take away protections that benefit us all. 

But we’re not falling for it. Across the country, people are coming together to demand a system that puts people over profit. 

At Community Catalyst, we’re not just defending what we’ve won—we’re building the power, partnerships, and momentum to go further. We’re working to create a health system rooted in race equity and health justice, where health is a right—not a privilege. 

“Now is the time to strengthen Medicaid and the ACA—not tear them down. Health care is not a luxury—it’s a right,” Shah said.

What You Can Do 

📞 Call your representative: Tell them to protect care, not cut it. Call 866-426-2631.

💬 Share your story: Join people like Jason and help us show lawmakers what’s really at stake. Take a moment to record your story.

📢 Spread the word: Share this post. Tag your member of Congress. Keep the pressure on.

This is our moment to fight back—and push forward. Together, we can demand bold solutions, not brutal cuts.

Let’s make it clear: we won’t be divided, and we won’t be silent.