With the US Senate expected to vote on President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill this week, Arizona health leaders are sounding the alarm over the impacts the law could have on Medicaid.
The Arizona Medical Association says any cuts to Medicaid could put a strain on the state’s healthcare system.
The White House says they are trying to protect Medicaid from abuse.
“I have friends who have seizure disorders who literally cannot drive, cannot work full-time. And they are scared to death right now that they might lose their health insurance,” said Lauren Mitchell, a Medicaid recipient.
Mitchell, who lives in Gilbert, is a single mother of two. She relies on Medicaid to afford her children's medication and to have enough time to earn a degree.
“If that goes away for us, then that significantly changes my ability to have time to go to school because I’m going to have to get a second job, maybe even a third,” she said.
“It’s a huge population. I think it’s close to two million Arizonans are on Medicaid or have been on Medicaid in the recent past,” said Dr. Eve Shapiro, a Tucson pediatrician.
In a statement, the ArMA says President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill, which currently includes around $600 billion in cuts to Medicaid, “would eliminate many patients’ access to care, strain the entire healthcare system.. (and) worsen the already dire physician shortage.”
“Unfortunately, many jobs in this state pay pretty low wages, and even with working, they can’t afford health insurance, so they’re on Medicaid,” said Shapiro.
The bill would impose new work requirements for certain individuals, increase eligibility checks and copays and crack down on “double-dipping” through extra income and residency verification.
It also bars Medicaid funding for undocumented migrants, abortion providers and gender transition care – key issues for conservatives.
“There are a lot of things in this bill, as I pointed out: it modernizes the military, it secures the border, it brings tax relief to working families,” said Senator John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader and a republican.
Still, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that around 11 million people could lose their health coverage over the next decade if the bill passes.
“Don’t take people off their healthcare. That’s just going to cause more problems,” said Mitchell.
