Republican plans to overhaul Medicaid are already shaking up the 2026 midterms
CNN
Senate Republicans have yet to finalize their version of President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy proposal, but GOP lawmakers up for reelection in 2026 are bracing for the political impact of the bill’s Medicaid cuts.
Senate Republicans have yet to finalize their version of President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy proposal, but GOP lawmakers up for reelection in 2026 are bracing for the political impact of the bill’s Medicaid cuts. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is pushing for a provider relief fund. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has warned GOP leaders about how many in his state could lose care. And Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has picked up a crop of Democratic challengers campaigning off her “Well, we all are going to die” response to a town hall protester. Tens of thousands of people could lose coverage in each of those three senators’ states, according to a KFF analysis on the version of the bill passed by the Republican-led House last month. Beleaguered Democrats, meanwhile, hope that laser-focusing on health care will help them chip away at the Republicans’ 53-seat Senate majority and take back the House. A key part of Democratic messaging has been to tie the Medicaid cuts, which would largely affect low-income Americans, to tax breaks for the wealthy. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes would reduce federal Medicaid spending by roughly $800 billion over 10 years, largely by instituting work requirements for certain adults eligible for Medicaid and postponing a Biden administration rule intended to simplify enrolling and renewing coverage. “It is crazy politics for them to do this,” said Brad Woodhouse, a longtime Democratic operative and executive director of Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy group that launched a $10 million campaign this year to oppose Medicaid cuts. “Everyone is going to be unhappy with this bill, unless you’re a very high net worth individual: a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, a billionaire, or a large corporation.” Many Republicans have argued that the cuts to Medicaid are meant to sustain the program for those who need it most. They’re also betting that the rest of the bill will be more popular.
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