House GOP proposes all-out assault on Medicaid
Threats to Medicaid are mounting, with the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce unveiling a new, harmful plan this past weekend that would not only have a devastating impact on Michiganders' ability to access health care, but lead to a catastrophic ripple effect on our state's health care systems and economy. Under the plan, up to 512,000 adults in Michigan could lose coverage due to new, punitive work requirements.
This latest news comes at a time when Michiganders have sent a loud-and-clear message that they don't want cuts to Medicaid. In fact, according to new statewide polling results released last week, 83% of Michigan voters across political views and party affiliations want to see Medicaid spending either increased or kept the same. EPIC·MRA, with support from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, Michigan Association of Health Plans, Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Michigan Primary Care Association, and Protect MI Care, conducted the new statewide poll to determine where Michiganders stand on the proposed Medicaid cuts. The poll also showed that 82% of Michiganders oppose cutting Medicaid to pay for tax cuts and 80% said Medicaid is important in their communities.
More than 2.6 million Michiganders — including more than 1 million children — rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. This includes 1 in 5 adults ages 19-64, 2 in 5 children, 3 in 5 nursing home residents, 1 in 6 Medicare beneficiaries and 3 in 8 working-age adults with disabilities.These are our family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors, and they live in every county in our state. Each and every one of them deserves to be able to access the care they need in order to live healthy lives.
Health care providers, advocates urge Michigan congressional delegation to vote no on Medicaid cuts
In addition to providing health care coverage to nearly half of Michigan's kids, Medicaid covered 45% of all babies born in our state last year and allows more than 270,000 older Michiganders to live safely at home or in caregiving facilities. It also serves as a lifeline for Michiganders seeking care at behavioral health and substance use treatment centers in rural and underserved areas, and, statewide, it protects families who otherwise couldn't afford care from serious health consequences and insurmountable financial burdens.
Medicaid is foundational to Michigan's health care delivery systems, providing an essential source of funding for hospitals, nursing homes, Community Mental Health Services Programs, schools and Emergency Medical Services. The program brings over $19 billion in federal funding to Michigan, supporting care, providers and thousands of jobs.
In addition to stripping health care away from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders, the implementation and administration of the House GOP's proposed work requirements would lead to exorbitant administrative costs, with Michigan taxpayers footing a potential $155 million bill in the first year alone. This is funding that would be put to much better use as a means to maintain and, better yet, increase health care coverage for the people who call Michigan home.
The plan also proposes tax 'reforms' that could result in a $3 billion annual loss in funding for our state, including a $2.3 billion decrease in payments to Michigan hospitals and upwards of $325 million in cuts to nursing homes. The closures of hospitals and other health care facilities are a real possibility under this plan, which would be deeply felt in rural and underserved areas where health care accessibility is already a major issue.
Let's be clear: this new plan is an all-out assault on Medicaid that would push families off coverage, overwhelm hospitals with uncompensated care and deepen workforce shortages in essential health care services.
We here at the Michigan League for Public Policy continue to stand strong in our fight to protect Medicaid, and we do not stand alone. We stand together with the majority of Michiganders and the more than 150 organizations that make up the Protect MI Care coalition. The stakes right now could not be higher, which is why the League is proud to have helped launch the Protect MI Care coalition in order to build a united front against any cuts or caps to Medicaid. The health and well-being of Michiganders and our state economy depend on it.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Ukrainian sniper breaks world record with 13,000-foot kill shot against Russian forces: report
A Ukrainian sniper unit on Thursday reportedly broke the world record for the longest confirmed sniper kill, eliminating Russian troops from a distance of more than 13,000 feet. The shot, fired by a Ukrainian-produced rifle and aided by artificial intelligence and drone guidance, left two Russian soldiers dead in the area of Pokrovsk, Ukraine, the Kyiv Post reported. 'The record-breaking shot was made on Aug. 14, 2025, using artificial intelligence under the guidance of [an unmanned aerial vehicle] complex with a 14.5 mm alligator rifle,' said military journalist Yuri Butusov, according to the Kyiv Post. The shooting took place amid increased Russian attacks in the area surrounding Pokrovsk, which was once a city with more than 60,000 residents, the Post reported. The previous world record belonged to a 58-year-old Ukrainian sniper who eliminated a target from a distance of around 12,400 feet, the outlet added. The record-breaking shot reportedly took place a day before President Donald Trump's closely-watched summit Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 3 A Ukrainian soldier in the sniper unit of the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade readies a rifle during training on Nov. 4, 2023. Anadolu via Getty Images 3 The previous world record was held by another Ukrainian sniper who took out a Russian soldier from nearly 2½ miles away with a high-tech rifle known as 'Horizon's Lord.' SBU 3 Ukrainian soldiers take part in a sniper shooting exercise at a training facility outside Kyiv on Nov. 21, 2023. AFP via Getty Images Putin, who spoke first in a joint press conference held by the two world leaders, described the talks as a 'constructive atmosphere of mutual respect.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington, DC, Monday. Zelensky said in a post on X that he and Trump will 'discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.'
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Officials meet in Santa Clara to discuss impacts of federal budget
The Trump administration is changing the way government operates at a breakneck speed, and many in local governments are struggling to even understand where it all may be going. On Saturday, state, local and federal lawmakers met at the Santa Clara County government center for a community meeting to talk about the coming impacts of the "big, beautiful bill." Santa Clara County has the largest and most diverse population in the Bay Area. So when you talk about the biggest human impact at the county level, you're talking about healthcare. "They run the second biggest hospital system in the state. A very large percentage of their revenue is from the Medicaid program, which has been drastically reduced in the so-called 'big, beautiful bill,'" said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. "We need to talk about how we can prevent worst-case scenerios." Lofren was one of many elected officials who spoke at a community meeting at the Santa Clara County board chambers, organized by Supervisor Betty Duong. "There are severe, severe detrimental cuts and I don't think even the word 'cuts' is an accurate portrayal of the level of gutting and decimation of our nation's public healthcare system," said Doung. "You will face crowded emergency rooms, longer wait times for healthcare services, because of the ripple effects of HR 1." At this point, the full impact of the budget law is hard to quantify. Opponents say even if Medicaid coverage, known in California as MediCal, isn't directly cut, access to healthcare will get harder as the system itself is shrunk by defunding. "It's scary. It's a dumpster fire every other day for us in the disability community," said Michele Mashburn. The disability rights advocate said she has no doubt that the cuts will lead to deaths. "There are people that wait to get on disability benefits that no longer work, that become unhoused, and then they die," Mashburn said. "There are many people waiting for benefits that die. There are family members that will lose the supports that they need to take care of their kids. People will be institutionalized, and those institutions are being defunded also. So, the care and services available they're inhumane. They're not just. And with these cuts, that's what's going to happen more." The law also includes cuts to housing and food assistance. But, at the same time, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be getting an increase in funding, making it the largest law enforcement agency in the country. State Assemblymember Ash Kalra sees a dark motive behind that. "Tens of billions going into ICE is basically for Trump to create his own Gestapo," he said. "So that he can enforce and do whatever he wants. He's starting by taking over D.C. right now. He made efforts in L.A. and other places. We have to be very honest about what's happening right now. Immigrants are being used as the scapegoat. We must focus on protecting our immigrant community, but we must recognize it's not going to stop at the immigrant communities." Under the new budget law, it's projected that Santa Clara County alone will face funding cuts of a billion dollars. Congressman Sam Liccardo said California can do what it can, but ultimately, there is no way for the state to replace what is being taken away. "The truth is there's no entity that can supplant trillions of dollars, and that's what we're talking about, literally one trillion dollars in Medicaid funding," said Liccardo. "And so, these kinds of massive impacts can't be filled by local cities or counties--they're just too large--nor states, which many are struggling just as California is." The Democrats are pinning their hopes on the 2026 midterm election to return control of Congress back to them. But Liccardo said he thinks it's possible there could be breaks in the Republican ranks even before then. "We're going to see these impacts nationally. And as the impacts start to roll out, I expect you're going to see more of those colleagues of mine with wobbly knees," he said. "And that will be our opportunity. And maybe this conversation will be much more fruitful about, 'hey, how can we actually reverse some of this damage?'" The Republicans realize that, so they've timed the major cuts to the healthcare system to kick in a month after the election. That's why local leaders aren't waiting to get the word out to the voters about what's coming for them.
Politico
7 hours ago
- Politico
Carney voices support for Trump's peace efforts — and encourages US security guarantees
The Canadian leader's message comes after several U.S. partners in Europe showed support for Trump's trilateral proposal on Friday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signaled support on Saturday for President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images By Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing 08/16/2025 06:21 PM EDT Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday joined other Western leaders in support of President Donald Trump's work to end the war in Ukraine and lauded what he described as the 'openness of the United States to providing security guarantees' for Ukraine after peace is reached. 'The leadership of President Trump and the United States is creating the opportunity to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace,' Carney wrote in a statement. 'I welcome the openness of the United States to providing security guarantees as part of the Coalition of the Willing's efforts.' The 'coalition of the willing' refers to a group of nations, including Canada, convened to provide military support for Ukraine after the war. A virtual meeting of the loose coalition is set to take place on Sunday, spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
