By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Enid Rodriguez, a North Carolina resident, highlights the critical impact Medicaid expansion has had on her health and access to care. The article then explains that proposed cuts to Medicaid in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” threaten coverage for millions, including North Carolinians like Rodriguez. Republican efforts to downsize Medicaid, despite its popularity, could lead to significant coverage losses and negatively impact healthcare providers, particularly in rural areas. While some Republicans have expressed concerns, the potential cuts could still be substantial and could have a wide-reaching impact.
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A $1 Trillion Medicaid Cut Is This Close to Happening. Here’s What It’d Look Like.
It’s hard to ignore the looming shadow of a potential $1 trillion cut to Medicaid. It’s a staggering number, and the implications are far-reaching, touching millions of lives across the country. It’s a situation that deserves a clear look at what this could mean in practice, not just in abstract policy terms.
It’s going to create a landscape of hardship, with the very real possibility of widespread suffering. We are talking about closures of rural hospitals and healthcare facilities, making it harder for people in those areas to access care. The elderly may find themselves losing their place in care facilities, a situation that could leave them without the support they need. Families, already stretched thin, could face even greater burdens of debt, and experience the destruction of their futures as they struggle to afford the medical care their loved ones desperately need. There’s a deeply troubling element of this: policies that appear to be designed to cause harm, cheered on by the wealthy against the poor. The unfortunate reality is that millions of Americans could lose their healthcare, and tragically, many could lose their lives. This raises a fundamental question about the kind of society we want to be.
The human cost of these policy decisions is what we must understand. It’s easy to dehumanize the issue by labeling people as “undeserving,” or by making dismissive remarks about their circumstances. I believe it’s important to put a human face on the potential impact of these cuts. So, let me share a story, a story of what can happen.
There has been so much talk about how this will affect people. About those supposedly “grifters”, “scammers”, or the waste and fraud. About the so-called “able bodied adults” who don’t deserve coverage. About the 8 to 13 million or more Americans that could lose their healthcare. About the return of the “welfare queen” and “lazy people.” The sheer scope of these numbers can obscure the individual stories, and it is in these individual stories that we can see the real meaning of these policies.
In 2017, a serious medical event upended my life. I experienced kidney failure and was placed on dialysis. This qualified me for both Medicare and Medicaid, which allowed me to receive life-saving care. After a transplant in 2021, I was fortunate enough to be covered by Medicare for a period of time, but this coverage eventually ran out. Post-transplant, I faced significant health challenges requiring ongoing and costly treatments. I found myself in a situation where I was eligible for Medicaid, but it came with the uncertainty and fragility of my health and financial situation.
I’ve since started a small business, which generates a little income, barely enough to cover the essentials. If it weren’t for Medicaid, I wouldn’t be able to afford the medications and treatments that keep me alive. My medication costs alone are nearly $2,000 a month, with additional expenses for regular treatments and bloodwork. When you add it all up, the costs are significant.
Now, there’s a very real possibility that I could lose my business due to external economic factors and changing trade policies. If that were to happen, what then? Would I also lose my healthcare? Would the expansion of Medicaid be eliminated, leaving millions like me without care?
This is just one story, a real-world example that is being repeated across the country. People with various health conditions, caregivers, homemakers, older adults, and others who can’t work or can’t qualify for disability, are all in a similar position. We are all scared that we will lose the healthcare and support that we need to survive. Many of us are your neighbors, your coworkers, your club members, and, maybe even family. We are more than statistics. We are people. If this were to happen, if I lost Medicaid, it could mean the end of my life.
So, please, let’s make this issue personal. Healthcare is about people. It’s about the chance to live, the chance to be with family and friends, and the chance to contribute to society. We are not asking for much, and this matters to each of us.
The discussion must be personal and real. It is necessary to tell our stories, to combat the false narratives and the divisive language.
Losing access to healthcare has far-reaching consequences. Cutting Medicaid will lead to an increase in preventable deaths, more people showing up at the ER, which is just a temporary solution, and more suffering overall. It’s easy to see how this will be devastating, and the impact will be felt throughout our communities. The very people who are most vulnerable in our society, who will also be the most impacted by cuts, will be left to struggle, while others benefit. The impact is not limited to those directly impacted by Medicaid cuts. These cuts will affect communities across the country.