Medicare watch - House Passes Bill That Would Devastate Health Coverage for Millions in Medicaid and Medicare
Today Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed their sweeping reconciliation bill. It now heads to the Senate, with a goal of final passage this summer.
Cuts to Vital Programs Would Pay for Administration Priorities
The House-passed bill would extend and expand upon many of the tax cuts Republicans passed in 2017, boost spending on administration priorities like immigration enforcement, and raise the statutory debt limit by $4 trillion. Some of these costs would be paid for, largely through harmful cuts to programs that millions rely on to stay healthy, including Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
CBO Analysis Projects Millions Losing Insurance Coverage
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of an earlier version of the bill found it would strip health coverage from nearly nine million people with Medicaid and Affordable Care Act plans. The bill also fails to extend the premium tax credits that help more than 22 million people buy marketplace plans, and which are set to expire this year. CBO projected that taken together, these proposals would cause 13.7 million people to become uninsured. Importantly, CBO has not yet reviewed the final House bill, which includes eleventh-hour revisions that are likely to deepen coverage losses.
Access to Care at Risk
The bill would also raise costs and jeopardize care for many who manage to keep their health coverage. It would strip low-income Medicare beneficiaries of critical financial assistance, making it harder for them to pay for care and prescription drugs; impose new out of pocket cost requirements on some Medicaid enrollees; and drive up premiums and cost sharing for people with marketplace plans. Other policies target specific populations: It would reduce affordability and access to care for immigrants, transgender people, women, and people in need of reproductive health services, as well as put older adults and people with disabilities at risk by removing life-saving nursing home staffing requirements.
https://www.medicarerights.org/medicare-watch/2025/05/22/house-passes-bill-that-would-devastate-health-coverage-for-millions-in-medicaid-and-medicare