No Cuts to Medicaid

While the administration and some in Congress have come out in support of sparing Medicare and Social Security from cuts in the negotiations around raising the debt ceiling, Medicaid — a critical health program for millions of people including children, older adults and people with disabilities — has not received the same support.  

The cost of health care in America is already too high — cuts to Medicaid will make things worse for people trying to get quality care.  

Put simply: Congress should make the ultra rich and big corporations pay their fair share instead of taking away health care. 

Background

Raising the debt ceiling is not about new spending, it is simply paying the bills for spending Congress has already approved. In the past, under Democratic and Republican presidencies and Democratic and Republican controlled Congresses, the debt ceiling has been lifted in a bipartisan way – including three times during the Trump administration.   

Republican leadership in Congress are playing a dangerous game of chicken and threatening economic collapse in an effort to make health care less affordable and accessible to communities.  It is Congress’ responsibility to pay for the spending it has already approved – including the nearly $8 trillion that was added to the deficit during the Trump administration. 

Due to systemic racism and classism that have limited economic mobility, Medicaid cuts would: 

  • Have a disproportionate impact on Black, Latinx, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people, as well as people with low incomes and living in rural communities.  
  • Cause health care costs for most households to rise.  
  • Be a significant step backward for race equity and health justice as the most dramatic cuts to critical health programs in the nation’s history.  

When people talk about back-door cuts to Medicaid, this is what they mean:  

  • Taking away affordable health care from people with disabilities.  
  • Taking away access to long-term care, including home and community-based care, as well as nursing home care. 
  • Taking away affordable health care from children, seniors and families already struggling to make ends meet. 
  • Making it impossible for low-wage workers to pay for the health care they need. 

Additional Resources  

Medicaid Work Requirements: Bad Policy for All, Particularly Harmful to People With Addictions and People of Color

Understanding the Intersection of Medicaid & Work: A Look at What the Data Say

McCarthy Bill Uses Debt Ceiling to Force Harmful Policies, Deep Cuts