All Week Long
Originally published by via Chicago Tribune | May 21, 2025
Republicans recently released their proposed plan to cut $715 billion in federal health care spending over 10 years. While they position changes to Medicaid as removing waste and not cutting eligibility, don’t be fooled by that spin. The only thing this plan will do is strip health coverage from an estimated 8.6 million Americans to fund tax breaks for the wealthy.
Central to the proposal is the implementation of national work requirements for Medicaid members. To demonstrate eligibility, not only would individuals have to provide proof that they are low-income, but adults without dependents would also have to prove that they worked or volunteered at least 80 hours per month. The bureaucratic red tape alone will cost millions of eligible people their coverage.
Most adults with Medicaid who can work, do work. The perception that some able-bodied adults are passing on work opportunities because they have health coverage through Medicaid simply isn’t supported by the nation’s current 4.2% unemployment rate. The notion has also been debunked by both the Congressional Budget Office and analyses of work requirement attempts in other states.
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