Republicans in the House announce Medicaid cuts.
The cost-cutting centerpiece of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" has been revealed by House Republicans.
Washington -- The cost-cutting cornerstone of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which includes at least $880 billion in cuts primarily to Medicaid to help pay for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, has been released by House Republicans.
Washington -- The cost-cutting cornerstone of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which includes at least $880 billion in cuts primarily to Medicaid to help pay for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, has been released by House Republicans.
The proposal, which is hundreds of pages long, was unveiled late Sunday and is starting the largest health care-related political battle since Republicans attempted, but were unable, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, during Trump's first term in 2017.
With stricter job and eligibility restrictions, Republicans claim they are just eliminating "waste, fraud, and abuse" to save money, but Democrats say millions of Americans may lose their insurance. According to the neutral Congressional Budget Office's early estimate, the plans would result in an 8.6 million decrease in the number of individuals with health coverage over the course of ten years.
With stricter job and eligibility restrictions, Republicans claim they are just eliminating "waste, fraud, and abuse" to save money, but Democrats say millions of Americans may lose their insurance. According to the neutral Congressional Budget Office's early estimate, the plans would result in an 8.6 million decrease in the number of individuals with health coverage over the course of ten years.
Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which deals with health care spending, stated, "Savings like these allow us to use this bill to renew the Trump tax cuts and keep Republicans’ promise to hardworking middle-class families."
Democrats, on the other hand, called the cuts "shameful" and ultimately a new attempt to overturn Obamacare.
"Millions of Americans will undoubtedly lose their health care coverage," stated New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, the leading Democrat on the panel. According to him, "if this bill passes, hospitals will close, seniors won't be able to get the care they need, and premiums will go up for millions of people.
"Millions of Americans will undoubtedly lose their health care coverage," stated New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, the leading Democrat on the panel. According to him, "if this bill passes, hospitals will close, seniors won't be able to get the care they need, and premiums will go up for millions of people.
Republicans are getting ready to saturate the area with 24-hour public hearings this week on a variety of sections of Trump's massive bill of tax breaks and spending cuts before they are stitched together into what will become a massive package, as they race toward House Speaker Mike Johnson's Memorial Day deadline to pass the bill.
The political landscape is unclear. Johnson and GOP leaders have been informed by more than a dozen House Republicans that they would not approve changes to the health care safety net programs that people back home rely on. Trump has stated that there will be no Medicaid cuts, avoiding a rerun of his first term.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a Republican, cautioned his fellow Republicans in an opinion piece on Monday that reducing health care to fund tax benefits would be "politically suicidal and morally wrong."
Republicans want at least $1.5 trillion in savings to help pay for the cost of maintaining the 2017 tax breaks, which were granted during Trump's first term and are set to expire at the end of the year. In total, 11 House committees have been assembling their portions of the package.
Republicans want at least $1.5 trillion in savings to help pay for the cost of maintaining the 2017 tax breaks, which were granted during Trump's first term and are set to expire at the end of the year. In total, 11 House committees have been assembling their portions of the package.
However, one of the most closely monitored has been the influential Energy and Commerce Committee. With the help of the health care cuts and the rollback of green energy projects from the Biden administration, the committee was able to meet its objective of $880 billion in savings. The committee's recommendations, according to the preliminary CBO analysis, would lower the deficit by $912 billion over the course of ten years, with the health provisions accounting for at least $715 billion of that total.
