Medicaid in the Crosshairs — What Comes Next?

Republicans in Congress are in search of $880 billion in spending cuts and Medicaid is in the crosshairs. Such cuts could have dire consequences for the health of more than 79 million Americans who rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance program for everything from life-saving care to otherwise unaffordable prescription drugs and nursing home stays. People with disabilities depend on Medicaid for the in-home care essential for independent living. Medicaid payments also can be a lifeline for struggling rural hospitals. As Republicans debate what form the cuts will take, experts anticipate that options under consideration could devastate state budgets, bump millions off the rolls, and slash core benefits for the widely popular program. And states such as California, where undocumented immigrants are now eligible for coverage, could end up jettisoning such expansions. In this webinar, we will take a close look at the latest GOP plans to slash Medicaid, explore what those cuts mean for the health of Americans who rely on the safety net, and highlight the wealth of story angles reporters can pursue to inform their communities as policies inch closer to reality.
This webinar is free and made possible by The California Endowment.
Panelists

Alice Miranda Ollstein is senior health care reporter for POLITICO Pro, covering the Capitol Hill beat. Prior to joining POLITICO, she covered federal policy and politics for Talking Points Memo. Ollstein graduated from Oberlin College in 2010 and has been reporting in D.C. ever since, covering the Supreme Court, Congress and national elections for TV, radio, print, and online outlets. Her work has aired on Free Speech Radio News, All Things Considered, Channel News Asia, and Telesur, and her writing has been published by The Atlantic, La Opinión, and The Hill Rag. She was elected in 2016 as an at-large board member of the DC Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2017, she was named one of the New Media Alliance's “Rising Stars” under 30. She grew up in Santa Monica, California and began freelancing for local newspapers in her early teens.

Suggested reading
Congressional District Interactive Map: Medicaid Enrollment by Eligibility Group, via KFF
KFF Health Tracking Poll February 2025: The Public’s Views on Potential Changes to Medicaid, via KFF
Cutting Medicaid? How Republicans could change the program. By Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times
Medicaid Advocates Say Critics Use Loaded Terms To Gain Edge in Congressional Debate, by Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News
Republican proposals to cut Medicaid could be politically fraught, by Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News
How 7 states could thwart GOP plans to overhaul Medicaid, by Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico
California has a lot to lose if Trump slashes Medicaid. Seniors, kids and more could face coverage cuts, by Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters
Republicans May Find It Harder to Cut Medicaid Than They Think, by Joanne Kenen, Politico
If Trump cuts Medicaid, this California Republican’s House seat would be imperiled, by Melissa Gomez and Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times
How Many Expansion Adults Could Lose Medicaid Under Federal Work Requirements? Via Urban Institute/RWJF
Trump county residents worry Medicaid cuts could throw them back into opioid spiral, by Cleve R. Wootson Jr., The Washington Post
Medicaid Insures Millions of Americans. How the Health Program Works, in Charts. By Anna Wilde Mathews and Paul Overberg, The Wall Street Journal
The Big Secret About Medicaid: It’s a Middle-Class Benefit, by Ron Lieber, The New York Times
How Potential Federal Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP Could Trigger the Loss of a Million-Plus Jobs, Reduced Economic Activity, and Less State Revenue, via the Commonwealth Fund and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health