June 11, 2025
We are facing a national crisis in health care. House Republicans recently passed their budget bill – the cartoonishly named “One Big Beautiful Bill” – by just one vote along party lines. There were no public hearings, and House members were not afforded time to read the bill before they chose to vote on it. This bill would slash funding for all of our most vital health programs: Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace, and yes – Medicare.
Roughly 15 million low- and moderate-income people would lose health coverage and become uninsured under the House Republicans’ sweeping and draconian health care agenda. Let’s be clear about one thing: there was no electoral “mandate” to cut healthcare programs. No one campaigned on getting rid of your health insurance or on driving up the costs of your health insurance so you end up paying more. So why, then, are these items in the Republican budget bill?
These cuts exist purely for the purpose of helping to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. In other words, this bill would create a massive transfer of wealth from low- and moderate-income people and families, to the wealthiest people and corporations. There is no health policy that can justify these changes.
It is vile, and it is deeply dangerous.
We know that the end result of these cuts to healthcare programs will be that people will live sicker, and they will die younger from preventable conditions. Health insurance is crucial for giving people access to preventive, primary, and specialty care. Early detection and treatment saves lives. Health insurance coverage also helps fund the health care system that we all depend upon. Reducing coverage and creating more uninsured will devastate our healthcare systems.
Senator Jodi Ernst (R-Iowa) spoke the quiet part out loud when she expressed callous disregard for the impacts of this bill. At a rare Town Hall meeting in Iowa, when confronted by frightened constituents who fear that the Medicaid cuts could be fatal, Senator Ernst made light of her constituents’ concerns by saying “we are all going to die.” This callous and glib response is the sort of answer one might expect from a psychopath, and indicates that she does not care about quality of life for those who will suffer. Shame on her. Unfortunately, Sen. Ernst is clearly not the only member of Congress who has this attitude. In fact, this attitude of cruelty and disinterest is reflected in the House Republicans’ budget bill and their priorities for funding cuts and tax breaks.
Below is information about some of the provisions of this dangerous budget bill, and what’s next in the process and how you can help.
