
GOP faces Medicaid conundrum with clock ticking
Republicans in Congress want to make the biggest changes to Medicaid in its 60-year history. But politics and budget math are increasingly raising doubts about whether it's feasible to cut the program to pay for a giant tax package.
Why it matters: Medicaid's growth makes the program a prime target for federal funding cuts. But increased enrollment during the pandemic has also made the program popular enough with voters that it's become something of a political third rail, similar to Medicare.
More than 75% of U.S. adults surveyed in April said they oppose major cuts to federal funding for Medicaid, including more than half of Republicans, according to KFF. Multiple GOP-aligned polling firms have released similar results.
Where it stands: Republican leaders in the House are caught between wary moderates and conservative hardliners in trying to hit a target of as much as $880 billion in Medicaid savings. The party is also struggling with how to reconcile its working-class appeal and cuts to the safety net program that red states have, at least in some fashion, embraced.
President Trump said he wants to "love and cherish" Medicaid but is said to be open to imposing work requirements, and wants Congress to require that drugmakers accept lower prices for Medicaid-covered prescriptions, pegged to what's paid abroad.
"The Trump administration is protecting Medicaid while proposing to slash the waste, fraud, and abuse within the program," White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Axios in an email.
"These reforms, along with our push for a Most Favored Nations policy to reduce drug prices in Medicaid, will increase efficiency and improve care for beneficiaries."
Congress also is still weighing whether to lower the 90% share of federal costs for Medicaid expansion enrollees. Another option being discussed is capping federal funding for expansion enrollees.
The potential for millions of people losing their coverage heading into the midterm election cycle hangs over the deliberations about what to do next.
Many voters "don't want it cut, because they know how important it has been for them, for their families and their neighbors," said Matt Salo, a health care consultant and former executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors.
For policymakers backing cuts, "it has become necessary to try to paint the program with as broad a brush as possible — as being so synonymous with waste, fraud and abuse that no amount of change will actually hurt people," he said.
"I really don't think that that is resonating with voters at all."
State of play: A key House committee postponed a critical markup of legislation that was supposed to take place this week, to get more time to figure out a plan for handling Medicaid cuts. The markup is now slated for next week.
The delay signals "that the Medicaid cut number is getting smaller and smaller," Duane Wright, a senior health policy analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, wrote in an email.
Meanwhile, advocates are hosting a vigil for Medicaid at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to protest cuts. More than 1,000 hospital leaders are convening in D.C. for meetings on the Hill, where opposition to Medicaid cuts will likely take center stage, Stat reports.
Work requirements are the big change that people so far find most politically palatable. More than 60% of adults support work requirements as a condition of Medicaid eligibility, per a February KFF poll.
The majority of non-senior adults on Medicaid already work. In order for work requirements to generate savings, they have to involve people being removed from Medicaid.
Real-world evidence from Arkansas' brief implementation of work requirements in 2018 resulted in people losing Medicaid coverage without any statistically significant increase in employment.
What to watch: The lack of consensus is raising questions about whether the GOP can make good on Speaker Mike Johnson's vow to vote on the tax package by the Memorial Day recess.
"They're not going to walk out of there with zero" cuts, Salo said. But slashing $880 billion in federal Medicaid spending is also unrealistic for Congress at this point, he added.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Will Trump invoke the Insurrection Act? 'We'll see,' he says
Will Trump invoke the Insurrection Act? 'We'll see,' he says Show Caption Hide Caption Anti-ICE raid demonstrators protest into fourth night Anti-immigration raid protests are continuing into the fourth night as the Pentagon deployed active-duty U.S. Marines. President Donald Trump mulled invoking the Insurrection Act, which would give him more leeway to use the military for domestic purposes, as he deploys troops to Los Angeles in response to protests prompted by ICE raids in the region. "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it,' Trump said June 10 during an event in the White House. 'We'll see. But I can tell you, last night was terrible. The night before that was terrible." Trump deployed the California National Guard to Los Angeles over the objection of Gov. Gavin Newsom, sparking a lawsuit from the state. Marines were also sent to help the guard after protests erupted over his immigration enforcement efforts. The troops are limited to protecting federal property and law enforcement officers. The Insurrection Act would give Trump authority to use them more broadly. More: 'High-stakes game': Trump-Newsom clash pits two political heavyweights Trump said there were parts of Los Angeles on June 9 where "you could have called it an insurrection. It was terrible." Newsom described Trump's actions as "the acts of a dictator" and accused the president of 'inciting and provoking violence,' 'creating mass chaos,' and 'militarizing cities.' Legal experts say invoking the Insurrection Act is an extreme step. It has been done 30 times in U.S. history. "The invocation of it would be viewed as a pretty dramatic act," said Duke Law Professor H. Jefferson Powell. Powell said the law is "dangerously broad." The last time the Insurrection Act was invoked was in May 1992, by President George H.W. Bush at the request of California's governor, to quell rioting in Los Angeles after four White police officers were acquitted for beating Black motorist Rodney King.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What the 'Big, Beautiful' tax bill means for municipal bonds
JPMorgan raised its forecast for municipal bond sales in 2025 to $560 billion as US lawmakers deliberate over President Trump's "big, beautiful" tax and spending bill in the Senate. Goldman Sachs Asset Management co-head of municipal fixed income Sylvia Yeh weighs in on what policy changes to the US tax code could mean for municipal bond investors, as well as valuation catalysts in comparison to Treasury yields (^TYX, ^TNX, ^FVX). Goldman Sachs manages several municipal bond ETFs (GMUB, GCAL, GMNY, GUMI). To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data

Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US still dependent on Canadian oil, despite Trump's claims, Cenovus CEO says
CALGARY (Reuters) -The U.S. is still reliant on Canadian oil imports, despite claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump, Cenovus Energy's CEO said on Tuesday at a conference in Calgary, Alberta. Trump has threatened on-again, off-again tariffs on Canada's oil, of which nearly 4 million barrels per day are exported to the United States. Canada also remains dependent on U.S. energy systems, Cenovus CEO Jon McKenzie said, adding the country must diversify its customer base. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data