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Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Congresswoman: I Remember a World Without Medicaid. We Can't Go Back
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. I know firsthand the importance of Medicaid—because I remember a time before it existed. My mother was a domestic worker, cleaning homes all her life. She worked tirelessly, regularly pushing through pain, because she was determined to build a better future for my sister and me. Despite working full time, my mother still couldn't afford health insurance and there was no Medicaid for her to fall back on. My sister had sickle-cell disease which, if you don't know, is a rare hereditary disease that can cause excruciating pain. Growing up, I spent many late nights in the ER with my sister as she navigated her debilitating condition. I often think what a difference it would have made to have health insurance. My sister wouldn't have suffered as much if she had access to comprehensive care and treatment. My mother wouldn't have had to work herself to exhaustion to provide for us. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman." Government programs like Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, housing vouchers—they exist to ensure that every American has the foundation they need to build a life of dignity and opportunity. Yet, Republicans are putting these programs on the chopping block to fund their trillion-dollar tax cuts to billionaires. WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Protestors wearing "Hands Off Medicad" shirts line up outside of the Energy And Commerce Committee Markup Of Budget Reconciliation Hearing on May 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Protestors wearing "Hands Off Medicad" shirts line up outside of the Energy And Commerce Committee Markup Of Budget Reconciliation Hearing on May 13, 2025 in Washington, 2.6 million people in my home state of North Carolina rely on services funded by Medicaid—this includes care for veterans with chronic conditions, long-term care in nursing facilities for our elderly, and health care for working people whose jobs don't offer it. I want to share a story from a constituent of mine, Laura Kelly, who works as a wheelchair assistant at Charlotte Douglas International Airport: I've relied on Medicaid for as long as I can remember. When I was five, my aunt took my sister and me after we were placed in foster care. She didn't have much, but she had Medicaid, and it kept her from drowning in medical debt. Years later when I became a mom myself, Medicaid was there for me too. It covered my prenatal care giving my babies a strong start at life. I work full-time at the airport. I take care of elderly passengers, disabled passengers, and unaccompanied minors. I get them where they need to go. I make sure they're safe. But when my shift ends, I go home to a motel room I can barely afford. I've faced eviction more than once. I work every day, and I still can't make ends meet. Last year, I was rushed to the hospital with severe anemia. The costs on the first night alone—before any real treatment—were astronomical. Without Medicaid, I wouldn't have gone. I would have waited. And I might not be here to tell you this story. Or to wake up the next day and care for my daughter, who has epilepsy. Without Medicaid, she can't get her meds. And without them, she won't survive. Programs like Medicaid are not budget-line items that we can cut without consequences. They are the difference between life and death. Medicaid cuts only serve to harm people like Laura, like my sister, like my mother, and like so many of us. Republicans in Congress will try to slash Medicaid without caring about the lives they threaten with their votes. Make no mistake—my colleagues and I will do everything we can to make sure these cuts don't happen. But we need your help. Now is the time to make calls to congressional offices and attend town halls, get involved with advocacy organizations in your community, and let anyone trying to cut Medicaid know that they will hear the voice of the American people—both now and at the ballot box. Alma Adams, Ph.D., a Democrat, is the U.S. Representative from North Carolina's 12th Congressional District. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Who Could Be Losing Medicaid Access? What to Know About Proposed Cuts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Millions of Americans could lose their Medicaid coverage under Republican plans to vastly cut federal spending. Lawmakers on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, are mulling over changes to the health care insurance program that benefits more than 70 million Americans nationwide. Committee Republicans have found at least $880 billion in spending cuts, largely to Medicaid, to help cover the cost of $4.5 trillion in tax breaks wanted by President Donald Trump. Why It Matters Millions of Americans—particularly low-income individuals, the elderly, and immigrants living in the country without legal status—are at risk of losing access to Medicaid under the proposed legislation. According to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill in its current form would lead to 10.3 million people losing some coverage and 7.6 million people going uninsured. What To Know A slew of changes are on the way if the current proposed bill is successful. Not all of these changes would come into force immediately upon the bill's passage, but all changes would be implemented within the coming decade. Low-Income Adults One of the main reforms is introducing new work requirements. Able-bodied adults aged under 65 without dependents will be required to engage in a minimum of 80 hours of paid work or 80 hours of "community engagement"—such as voluntary work. Exceptions will be made for pregnant women and in cases of short-term hardship. This could particularly impact those who have irregular employment. There will also be new co-pays for those earning over a certain threshold. Medicaid recipients who make more than 100 percent of the federal poverty level—which is around $32,000 a year for a family of four—would be required to pay an out-of-pocket cost of $35 for some services. Fees would not apply to emergency room visits, prenatal care, pediatric visits or primary care checkups. Illegal Immigrants The proposed bill also includes provisions aimed at immigrants without legal status. Contained in the bill is a 10-percentage point reduction in the federal funding allocated to states—such as New York or California—that permit illegal immigrants to enroll in Medicaid. Stricter immigration checks would also be implemented if the bill passes. Protesters wearing "Hands Off Medicad" shirts line up outside of the Energy And Commerce Committee Markup Of Budget Reconciliation Hearing on May 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Protesters wearing "Hands Off Medicad" shirts line up outside of the Energy And Commerce Committee Markup Of Budget Reconciliation Hearing on May 13, 2025 in Washington, Protect Our Care Abortion and Gender Care Medicaid funds will also be prohibited from being paid to Planned Parenthood, while federal matching funds will also be prohibited for "gender transition procedures"—including puberty blockers, hormone treatments and surgeries—for individuals under the age of 18 enrolled in the program. Eligibility Checks The bill also mandates states to conduct Medicaid eligibility redeterminations at least every six months for adults covered under the Medicaid expansion, up from the current annual check. Such administrative burdens could cause people to lose coverage simply due to paperwork delays or logistical obstacles, critics have argued. What People Are Saying Representative Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, the GOP chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said: "Savings like these allow us to use this bill to renew the Trump tax cuts and keep Republicans' promise to hardworking middle-class families." House Speaker Mike Johnson said: "Medicaid is intended, remember, as a safety net for young pregnant mothers and the elderly and disabled and vulnerable populations, not for young able-bodied men without dependents. Those are the kinds of people we're taking off the program." Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the panel, said: "In no uncertain terms, millions of Americans will lose their health care coverage. "Hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes." Darbin Wofford, deputy director of health care at Third Way, a center-left think tank, previously told Newsweek in an emailed statement: " No matter how Republicans try to spin it, this bill means major cuts to the Medicaid program. "This package will mean millions of people losing their coverage and exploding our medical debt crisis, all to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy." What Happens Next The bill needs to win over nearly every Republican on the floor of the narrowly divided House. If it passes, it will then be considered in the Senate.
