Seniors, people with disabilities and children are not spared
This week Congress returned from their Memorial Day recess and the Senate began negotiations over the House-passed reconciliation bill (passed on May 22, 2025). The Center for Medicare Advocacy has urged the Senate to reject the cruel cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in the House-passed bill. As negotiations continue, CMA will continue to highlight the harmful impacts of the bill for older people, people with disabilities and their families.
CBO Score Revised: Coverage Losses and Costs are Even Higher
This week the non-partisan, independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released revised estimates of the health care coverage losses and costs of the House-passed reconciliation bill. The new estimates project that 16 million Americans will become uninsured by 2034 because of the bill, increasing the coverage loss by 2.3 million from earlier estimates. This includes 10.9 million more people will be uninsured because of changes to Medicaid and 5.1 million who could lose coverage due the Affordable Care Act changes. The CBO estimate also projects over $1 trillion in health care cuts.
Cuts to Food Assistance will Result in Additional Cuts to Medicaid
A Health Affairs Forefront article published this week, “House SNAP Cuts Would Further Endanger Medicaid For Disabled People, Older Adults,” highlights how older adults and people with disabilities will be hurt by the shift of SNAP costs to states, which increase the likelihood states will cut optional Medicaid services when forced to make difficult budgetary decisions.
The article stated: “Proponents of the reconciliation bill’s deep Medicaid and SNAP cuts have claimed that they are protecting ‘vulnerable’ populations and strengthening services for people with disabilities and older adults. But the reality is quite the opposite. The budget reconciliation bill is a double whammy for older adults and disabled people, leading to both direct losses of Medicaid coverage and SNAP benefits and significantly increasing the chances of even more devastating cuts to the Medicaid services most critical to these groups. In short, despite the rhetoric otherwise, the reconciliation bill would take away critical supports from some of the most vulnerable Americans while creating tax breaks for the very wealthy.”
Researchers: 51,000 People Will Die Annually Because of the Bill
New research released this week found that provisions in the reconciliation bill could lead to more than 51,000 deaths annually. The study’s key findings, directly quoted from the report:
- Loss of coverage for 7.7 million people: This would result in an estimated 11,300 additional deaths annually due to lost access to Medicaid or ACA Marketplace coverage.
- Disenrollment of 1.38 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries: Ending Medicare Savings Program support would increase mortality by 18,200 per year due to reduced access to subsidized prescriptions.
- Elimination of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) nursing home staffing rules: Repealing the 2024 minimum staffing standard would lead to 13,000 deaths annually among nursing home residents.
In addition, the bill’s failure to extend the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits is expected to push another 5 million Americans into uninsurance, resulting in 8,811 more deaths each year.”
Cuts to Medicaid will Lead Rural Facilities to Close
The National Rural Health Association recently released a statement about the House-passed bill, noting it “would make sweeping changes to Medicaid and the ACA Marketplaces that will result in significant coverage losses and will further limit access to care for all rural patients by closing rural facilities and ending health care coverage for rural residents nationwide.”
Medicaid Cuts will Harm People Struggling with Substance Use Disorder
The National Health Law Program released a resource earlier this year highlighting the importance of Medicaid coverage for treatment of substance use disorders. With the massive cuts to Medicaid in the House-passed bill, it is critical to reiterate that those who rely on Medicaid for SUD treatment and care will suffer.
Report Highlights Harms to Older People and People with Disabilities in House Bill
A report updated this week with analysis of the House-passed bill’s Medicaid provisions, underscores the catastrophic impacts on older adults, people with disabilities and their families. Some of the study’s key takeaways, directly quoted from the report:
Seniors, people with disabilities and children are not spared. While coverage losses will be concentrated in the Medicaid expansion group, the repeal of two eligibility and enrollment rules is expected to cause some 2.1 million fewer seniors, people eligible based on their disabilities, children, and others to receive Medicaid coverage. Along with around 200,000 expansion enrollees, repeal of the rules results in:
- Nearly 800,000 low-income Medicare beneficiaries who will not receive subsidies from Medicaid to cover Medicare premiums and cost-sharing;
- Close to 600,000 children who will miss out on coverage;
- 300,000 seniors and individuals with disabilities who will not receive coverage; and
- Over 200,000 pregnant women, parents, and caretakers of dependent children who will not receive coverage.