Medicaid Cuts

The Trump administration is reducing funding that helps pregnant women, children, and breastfeeding mothers who are nutritionally at risk afford fruits and vegetables. In the 50 years since the program was started, its funding has never been reduced.

A recent Al Jazeera article fact checks and scrutinizes Trump’s declaration that the House Bill cutting Medicaid eliminates “waste, fraud, and abuse.” The bill proposes significant structural changes to Medicaid that could lead to injuries and death from substantial coverage losses.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 8.6 million Americans could lose health care coverage due to Trump’s change.

The bill includes rules like requiring some adults to work to keep their Medicaid, checking people’s eligibility more often, and adding small fees for some medical services. It also aims to stop Medicaid funding from going to clinics like Planned Parenthood that offer reproductive health services.

Experts say these changes do not just reduce fraud, and the change also make it harder for low-income people to receive the health care they need. The bill still needs to go through the Senate, where it could be turned down or changed…hopefully.

Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul warned that the bill would also increase the federal deficit. “I agree with Elon,” he said on social media.

Predictably Trump raged at Paul, writing: “His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him.”