Red alert: Trump's mega law threatens millions of Medicaid recipients!

Red alert: Trump's mega law threatens millions of Medicaid recipients!

Donald Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill” is causing unrest in the United States. The bill calls for drastic cuts to Medicaid, a healthcare program that benefits low-income and disabled Americans. According to that Focus Federal funding for Medicaid could be reduced by a trillion dollars by 2034, which could cause approximately 11.8 million people to lose coverage.

The law, recently passed by the House of Representatives, requires eligible Medicaid recipients ages 19 to 64 without dependent children to work at least 80 hours per month or demonstrate equivalent activity beginning in 2026. Experts warn that the new work requirements could particularly affect older people who may be unable to work due to health restrictions or age discrimination.

Consequences for society

In addition, care obligations for relatives could represent an additional hurdle. The ABC News reports that compliance with these work requirements could also impact tax subsidies for ACA insurance. People who do not meet the requirements could be left without affordable health care.

The impact of the changes in the law could be particularly noticeable in rural areas. Hospitals that rely on Medicaid payments are at risk of closing. States with a large rural population, such as California, would be particularly affected.

Financing the Trump Agenda

A significant portion of funding for Trump's second-term agenda could come from cuts to social safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Medicaid cuts are estimated to be $600 billion over 10 years, while SNAP cuts could amount to about $230 billion.

Republicans justify the cuts by arguing that they could reduce "waste, fraud and abuse" to secure funding for Trump's tax cuts and increased funding for border security and defense. Speaker Mike Johnson expressed optimism about progress following the bill's narrow passage on May 22, 2025.

The new regulations also include increased authorization checks, which will in future have to be carried out every six months instead of once a year as before. In addition, states should no longer be allowed to use funds to support undocumented migrants, which could cost around 1.4 million people their Medicaid protection.

Additionally, Medicaid recipients above the poverty line will face increased copayments, while new income and residency verification requirements will also be implemented. This could pose additional hurdles, especially for seniors.

In the future, Medicaid funds may no longer be used to support abortion providers and gender reassignment procedures. Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act will also be shortened by a month and will now end on December 15th.

The ongoing discussions about the “Big Beautiful Bill” show how crucial the coming months will be for the health care of many Americans. The uncertainty about future insurance benefits has already begun to unsettle many people.