Donald Trump's so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill' is moving closer to becoming law, potentially putting the health insurance of around 17 million Americans at risk. If passed, the bill would lead to massive cuts to Medicaid, impacting millions of families, including those living in red states that strongly supported Trump during his presidential campaign.
Millions at risk of losing health insurance
According to Bloomberg, if Trump's Big Beautiful Bill becomes law, it would trigger deep cuts to Medicaid and weaken the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a result, approximately 17 million people could lose their health coverage.
Rural communities would be among the hardest hit. A significant portion of residents in these areas rely on Medicaid as their primary access point to healthcare. Many rural healthcare systems are already fragile, and further cuts would make it even harder for patients to receive necessary treatment.
Even Americans with private insurance could face challenges. Reduced federal support could make it more difficult to access affordable care as hospitals and clinics scale back services.
How Trump's bill could change US healthcare
There are several ways the Big Beautiful Bill would reshape healthcare access in the United States, according to NPR. These include:
- The introduction of a Medicaid work requirement, which would dramatically reduce program enrollment.
- Budget cuts to healthcare in specific states, resulting in fewer services, fewer healthcare workers, and possible hospital closures.
- New requirements for ACA marketplace coverage, making it harder for people to keep existing plans or sign up for new ones.
- Requiring Medicaid enrollees to pay more out of pocket for services.
- Removing subsidised ACA plans for many immigrants.
If implemented, the bill is expected to reduce spending on Medicaid and ACA marketplaces by about £790 billion ($1 trillion) over the next decade.
Legislative progress and uncertainty
The Big Beautiful Bill has already passed the Senate and is now heading back to the White House for final revisions. Trump set a 4 July deadline for lawmakers to present a final version, but it remains unclear whether all Republican senators will ultimately support the measure before it reaches his desk for signing.
Critics argue that Trump's proposed bill threatens both the physical and financial well-being of millions of Americans. Health experts warn that it would reverse gains achieved under previous administrations, which helped expand healthcare access and reduce the number of uninsured Americans.
Dr. Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, strongly condemned the bill. He stated that it 'will make our country sicker, put children at risk of going hungry and make it harder for families to afford basic necessities.'
Wider implications
As the deadline approaches, the debate around Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is intensifying. Opponents stress that the proposed Medicaid cuts would disproportionately hurt vulnerable populations, including children, low-income families and people living in rural areas.
If the bill becomes law, the United States could see one of the most significant rollbacks of public healthcare support in modern history. While Trump and his allies argue that the bill will cut government spending and reduce taxes, health policy analysts warn that it may come at an enormous human cost.
