Impact of Proposed Medicaid Cuts in Trump's Budget Bill

Proposed Medicaid Work Requirements

• 📌 The current House bill proposes a national work requirement for certain Medicaid recipients, effective in 2026.
• 💼 This requirement would mandate individuals to work at least 80 hours a month, engage in community service, work training, or be enrolled in school, with exemptions for parents of dependent children and the medically frail.
• ⚠️ Past experiences in states like Arkansas and Georgia show that these work requirements create barriers to coverage and lead to significant coverage losses due to difficulties in navigating reporting and documentation.

Medicaid Expansion and State Funding

• 🎯 The bill targets the Medicaid expansion population, which has been adopted by 40 states and D.C., by imposing work requirements and more frequent eligibility determinations.
• 💸 It also proposes new cost-sharing measures and risks federal funding for states that use their own funds to cover certain immigrant children and adults.
• 📉 A reduction of over $700 billion in federal Medicaid spending over 10 years is estimated, potentially shifting costs to states and leading to an estimated 10 million people losing Medicaid coverage if states cannot or choose not to offset these costs.

Impact on Elderly and Disabled Individuals

• 🏥 The bill rescinds a Biden-era rule that facilitated easier enrollment for seniors and people with disabilities who also have Medicare, impacting their access to supplemental benefits.
• 🩺 This includes coverage for long-term care, dental, and vision care that Medicare does not provide.
• 📉 The Congressional Budget Office estimates that over one million seniors and people with disabilities could lose their Medicaid access and these crucial additional benefits.