Late Sunday night, May 11, 2025, the Energy & Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives released its proposal to cut Medicaid for millions of Americans through the budget reconciliation process. The reconciliation bill would also postpone the implementation of the recently finalized minimum staffing rule in nursing homes until 2035, a rule that is estimated to save 13,000 lives annually. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that these proposals will cut healthcare coverage for at least 13.7 million people over ten years.
The cuts to Medicaid are estimated to be $912 billion over ten years and take the form of a variety of mechanisms designed to reduce enrollment in the Medicaid program, including:
- Work requirements for individuals under 65 years of age.
- More frequent and burdensome eligibility redeterminations.
- Freezing provider taxes at current rates.
- Increased cost-sharing for certain Medicaid recipients.
- Decreasing access to Medicare by removing critical streamlining processes.
These cuts will have a devastating impact on older individuals and persons living with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to receive long-term care supports and services (LTSS), including nursing home residents, residents of assisted living-facilities, and individuals receiving LTSS at home. When federal Medicaid funding is cut, it falls on states to make up the difference. As a result, states will likely cut Medicaid budgets by implementing stricter eligibility requirements, reducing payments to providers, and increasing burdensome renewal processes.
Today, the Energy & Commerce Committee will mark up and vote on the bill. If enacted, this bill would devastate millions of Americans of all ages, but particularly aged and/or disabled individuals.
We urge you to contact your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 to tell them these, or any, cuts to Medicaid are unacceptable.
