Medicaid Cuts: What’s on the Table and What It Means for You

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

News, Daily News

4 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fifteen years ago today, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, kicking off a sweeping overhaul of U.S. healthcare and expanding Medicaid coverage to more than 30 million Americans. But with deep cuts to Medicaid being debated on Capitol Hill, could the U.S. healthcare landscape be in for a shock? WSJ health-insurance reporter Anna Wilde Mathews and Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at the non-profit health policy research and polling organization KFF, discuss the kinds of changes that are on the table, from work requirements to federal contributions to states, and what they would mean for Americans’ healthcare more broadly. Luke Vargas hosts. Further Reading: Fear of Medicaid Cuts Hits Health Insurer and Hospital Stocks GOP Split on Medicaid Imperils Trump’s Tax-Cut Plans Trump’s Medicaid Comments on Friday Provide Relief for Insurers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.4	Hey, What's News listeners, it's Sunday, March 23rd. I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal,
0:36.5	and this is What's News Sunday,
0:38.4	the show where we tackle the big questions about the biggest stories in the news by reaching
0:42.5	out to our colleagues across the newsroom to help explain what's happening in our world.
0:47.0	The Affordable Care Act was signed into law 15 years ago today, a bill that kicked off a sweeping
0:53.1	overhaul of U.S. healthcare, expanding coverage
0:56.1	to more than 30 million Americans via its Medicaid expansion. And after surviving three legal
1:01.9	challenges at the Supreme Court, it's become firmly entrenched in the American health care system.
1:07.0	But with big Medicaid cuts being debated on Capitol Hill, could the U.S. healthcare landscape be in for a shock?
1:13.7	Let's get right to it.
1:15.9	The federal government spends about $600 billion annually on Medicaid.
1:21.7	States help fund and manage the program, which provides health insurance for roughly 72 million people or about one in five Americans,
1:30.0	including children and people with low incomes or disabilities.
1:33.7	And as you might have heard, some big changes to the program have been tossed around on Capitol Hill lately,
1:38.8	as congressional Republicans work to deliver a budget and tax cut bill in the coming months.
1:48.3	We have got two excellent guests with us today to analyze the effects that those moves could have.
1:57.2	But first, I want to play some comments from journal reporter Liz Esley-White, who's been keeping a close eye on the range of proposals we've been hearing about in Washington.
1:58.1	Here's Liz.
2:05.3	Medicaid work requirements are probably the most popular on the Republican side of the aisle.
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