Serving in the Army is considered significant work. Is it an wonder that my neighbor insisted that his employment as a German soldier in 1939 was proof that Hitler improved the economy!?!
Imagine what damage Trump’s army would perpetuate in the next 4 years!
As I am insulin dependent diabetic, I got interested in the impact the Medicaid cuts would have on diabetics. During pre-vaccine Covid, I was WAY more worried that supplies of insulin would dry up--that would kill me for sure within days or weeks, even if I sheltered in place completely. (The main problem is diabetic keratosis)
So I did a quick seat of pants calculation. Diabetics make up 11.6% of the population. There are actually greater numbers amongst the poor and people of color. Apply that 11.6% to 13.7 million and you get 1,589,200 people likely to die without their meds. Far fewer are actually insulin dependent, but for around 10K people at the very least, losing coverage would mean that same death I feared--within days or weeks. And without the oral meds, the chances of becoming insulin dependent shoot skyward.
This doesn't take into account the other issues with untreated diabetes, from neuropathy to loss of kidney function.
I'm not on Medicaid. Losing or cutting back MediCARE would kill me.
Paul Ryan doesn't care at all about the poor. A strange bedfellow for this anti-Medicaid effort, and I think should be treated with kid gloves, don't embrace him directly. He'll screw us over even worse, given the chance.
This was such an excellent article explaining the game the Republicans are playing.
Unfortunately, it is a complex story to try and explain and most people don't bother to read two paragraphs, much less an essay like this.
Democrats need to figure out a way to distill this overview into one or two catchy phrases, and discipline themselves to repeat the same few sentences and buzz words describing this travesty on EVERY SINGLE INTERVIEW ON TV. They all need training to stick to the message. Repeat repeat repeat.
So let's jam on what they should say. I'll start.
"Granny will have to move into your basement" and "Republicans will force Gig economy workers to spend more time filling out mountains of paperwork than doing their actual work". Dems should show the pile of paperwork--have a Tik Tok walking through it, state by state, physically showing how much paperwork has to be filled out. "So much for govt efficiency!".
Only then expand to explain (if given an additional couple minutes) "There is history here. Michigan tried to do this, did as good a job as any state could trying to get the word out, and STILL had over 100K eligible people falling off the rolls--and courts had to step in to save those people two years later".
Republicans new mantra: "Death by paperwork!" and "Gaslight, gaslight, gaslight!".
Oh, and for God's sake, Democrats need to turn off their Actblue texting spigot NOW, stop sending messages with "Republicans are taking your Medicaid!!!!" with the usual multiple exclamation points.
As an autistic girl, finding a job is especially difficult for me. I have yet to work my first job, partly because I moved frequently in the last 12 years. I’m not about to apply for just any job, when I have family looking out for me. I didn’t actually use Medicaid, until summer of 2023, because of irregular periods and concerns about cavities. Even if I start my first job this summer, there’s no guarantee that I will be able to stay long-term.
Over the years, the Rs have consistently accused the Ds of fiscal irresponsibility. As it turns out, the Rs will make the Ds look like rank amateurs. They are poised to raise the debt ceiling by trillions of dollars and then extend the tax cuts for their rich donors indefinitely! They even want to increase the cuts! It is almost a given that one of the talking points in the Midterms will be to tell MAGA that the Ds are going to raise taxes and spend, spend, spend! This really is like an arsonist posing as a firefighter! The Ds need to hold them accountable!
People on Medicaid should work or volunteer to get their benefits. So say the Republicans in Congress.
Anecdotes can be helpful. Here’s one for you: My great nephew was born with cerebral palsy. He spent his life in a wheelchair, unable to use his arms or legs or hold his head up. He could barely speak. He could not feed himself or use the bathroom. My niece cared for him 24/7. He died a few months ago at the age of 44, a gentle, loving person who never walked or held a spoon.
Would someone please tell me what kind of job or volunteer work could he have done?
While I totally believe that as a country we have a responsibility to care for the most vulnerable, we also have to understand that with every institution, government, religious, education, business, and family, there is some degree of waste and fraud. That is a fact. However, to go after true waste and fraud a finely honed surgical scalpel is needed, not what these DC clowns are offering.
I would suggest that behavior would begin to change if the very hard and precise work was done to find these real examples with appropriate consequences. I personally know of a few cases where people are taking from the government where they should not, so yes, they do exist and it is infuriating. Having said that the real dollar amount realized would be a miniscule portion of what is being sought. Unfortunately, the system is set up to not really even begin this precise work so we end up with broad based strokes of evil intent that with a 2029 implementation date is totally political with not a whim of fiscal responsibility.
The cowardly scamsters are at it again. IF--big if--they manage to push this through, the cuts don't take effect until 2029. What?! Maybe they don't expect to be in office then? Yah, don't I wish. The lies and deceptions of the Republicans--all of them--truly know no end.
One important point that doesn't seem to be getting much attention is how many rural hospitals (i.e. ones in very red areas) are already barely getting by, and with massive Medicaid cuts, many will likely close.
The end result is that even those with insurance may be unable to get care due to the distances involved to get to a functioning hospital.
In addition, creating millions of uninsured will bring back a huge burden on Emergency Rooms (many in the same nearly insolvent rural hospitals) as uninsured folks end up going to emergency when their health issues are untreated for too long . . . .
The GQP slime are once again proving themselves to be dishonest, cowardly, hypocrites. Pushing a proven failure like "work requirements" is bad enough, but then being so cowardly that it doesn't take effect until the next administration is slimy even for these swamp scum.
Sad that they don't really give a half a damn about deficits since this boondoggle will very clearly blow up the national debt (again . . .). Hypocrites.
Pushing people off Medicaid will not just impact the poorest Americans. It will hurt all of us by the effects it will have on healthcare. Poor people without insurance will still need care, and will get it in the most expensive place - the ER, where the law requires that no one is turned away. That will drive up everyone else’s costs since we all have collectively to bear these costs. Insurance premiums and copays will go up for the insured. In addition, hospital margins are already razor-thin, especially in rural America and safety-net hospitals. This will cause many hospitals to close, making care less convenient for many people and increasing wait times for everyone. Democrats need to emphasize these outcomes so that everyone realizes that there are real substantial consequences to everyone if Medicaid is cut, not just to those who lose coverage.
Something that you point out that might not happen is the ability of the poorest to continue to get health care from the ER. The law that exists NOW says they must receive care; there is absolutely nothing to say that these cowardly scamsters won't change the law.
You have to wonder why GOP doesn’t want to help people. They never really have. They certainly don’t need anymore tax cuts. GOP backs Trumps efforts because this is what they wanted since Reagan. Squash the little guy, pay low wages Make America Worse while puffing their chests that the yhave added to their own coffers and bilked the public They are basically willing to let people get sick and possibly die on their watch.
"While there is certainly some “waste, fraud, and abuse” in every government program. . ."
This kind of pat talisman is a whimper where a valiant riposte is needed -- it's a sad cliche in an otherwise very intelligent analysis.
Stop accepting the premise hiding behind this vague, hand-wavy "waste, fraud, and abuse" line.
Two of these three things represent crimes. In a civilized political system, crimes are charged, evidence is presented in court, and justice is delivered.
For such crimes to be occurring at the scale of $715 billion would require massive, systematic misappropriation of public monies.
Vaguely claiming these crimes are occurring without bringing charges or presenting evidence is either a lie or an effort to manufacture group guilt by association. By not standing up vigorously against charges-without-evidence, you make yourself a collaborator when the torch-and-pitchfork crowd comes for whatever group gets tagged as responsible.
You misunderstand my intent in saying so. The Republicans are trying to leverage what amounts to common and predictable amounts of fraud waste and abuse into a justification for stripping hundreds of billions. It’s similar to how they take a single crime by a single migrant and paint an entire community with it.
Some infographics and maps to visualize Republican cuts to Medicaid:
We mapped how many people there are in every congressional district that rely on Medicaid using data from The Center for American Progress. How old are they? How many live below the poverty line? How many have no other form of insurance? And who their Congressional rep is and how to call them with one click. Hold them accountable for their votes to cut Medicaid! https://thedemlabs.org/2025/04/30/republican-chainsaw-massacre-of-medicaid-to-give-tax-cuts-to-billionaires/
Thank you for the deep dive. The “Administration” just keeps topping itself in the realm of cruelty and punishment of those who have less to begin with. I am a restless soul and have not slept well since 2017. 🥱
Serving in the Army is considered significant work. Is it an wonder that my neighbor insisted that his employment as a German soldier in 1939 was proof that Hitler improved the economy!?!
Imagine what damage Trump’s army would perpetuate in the next 4 years!
As I am insulin dependent diabetic, I got interested in the impact the Medicaid cuts would have on diabetics. During pre-vaccine Covid, I was WAY more worried that supplies of insulin would dry up--that would kill me for sure within days or weeks, even if I sheltered in place completely. (The main problem is diabetic keratosis)
So I did a quick seat of pants calculation. Diabetics make up 11.6% of the population. There are actually greater numbers amongst the poor and people of color. Apply that 11.6% to 13.7 million and you get 1,589,200 people likely to die without their meds. Far fewer are actually insulin dependent, but for around 10K people at the very least, losing coverage would mean that same death I feared--within days or weeks. And without the oral meds, the chances of becoming insulin dependent shoot skyward.
This doesn't take into account the other issues with untreated diabetes, from neuropathy to loss of kidney function.
I'm not on Medicaid. Losing or cutting back MediCARE would kill me.
Paul Ryan doesn't care at all about the poor. A strange bedfellow for this anti-Medicaid effort, and I think should be treated with kid gloves, don't embrace him directly. He'll screw us over even worse, given the chance.
This was such an excellent article explaining the game the Republicans are playing.
Unfortunately, it is a complex story to try and explain and most people don't bother to read two paragraphs, much less an essay like this.
Democrats need to figure out a way to distill this overview into one or two catchy phrases, and discipline themselves to repeat the same few sentences and buzz words describing this travesty on EVERY SINGLE INTERVIEW ON TV. They all need training to stick to the message. Repeat repeat repeat.
So let's jam on what they should say. I'll start.
"Granny will have to move into your basement" and "Republicans will force Gig economy workers to spend more time filling out mountains of paperwork than doing their actual work". Dems should show the pile of paperwork--have a Tik Tok walking through it, state by state, physically showing how much paperwork has to be filled out. "So much for govt efficiency!".
Only then expand to explain (if given an additional couple minutes) "There is history here. Michigan tried to do this, did as good a job as any state could trying to get the word out, and STILL had over 100K eligible people falling off the rolls--and courts had to step in to save those people two years later".
Republicans new mantra: "Death by paperwork!" and "Gaslight, gaslight, gaslight!".
Oh, and for God's sake, Democrats need to turn off their Actblue texting spigot NOW, stop sending messages with "Republicans are taking your Medicaid!!!!" with the usual multiple exclamation points.
As an autistic girl, finding a job is especially difficult for me. I have yet to work my first job, partly because I moved frequently in the last 12 years. I’m not about to apply for just any job, when I have family looking out for me. I didn’t actually use Medicaid, until summer of 2023, because of irregular periods and concerns about cavities. Even if I start my first job this summer, there’s no guarantee that I will be able to stay long-term.
Over the years, the Rs have consistently accused the Ds of fiscal irresponsibility. As it turns out, the Rs will make the Ds look like rank amateurs. They are poised to raise the debt ceiling by trillions of dollars and then extend the tax cuts for their rich donors indefinitely! They even want to increase the cuts! It is almost a given that one of the talking points in the Midterms will be to tell MAGA that the Ds are going to raise taxes and spend, spend, spend! This really is like an arsonist posing as a firefighter! The Ds need to hold them accountable!
People on Medicaid should work or volunteer to get their benefits. So say the Republicans in Congress.
Anecdotes can be helpful. Here’s one for you: My great nephew was born with cerebral palsy. He spent his life in a wheelchair, unable to use his arms or legs or hold his head up. He could barely speak. He could not feed himself or use the bathroom. My niece cared for him 24/7. He died a few months ago at the age of 44, a gentle, loving person who never walked or held a spoon.
Would someone please tell me what kind of job or volunteer work could he have done?
While I totally believe that as a country we have a responsibility to care for the most vulnerable, we also have to understand that with every institution, government, religious, education, business, and family, there is some degree of waste and fraud. That is a fact. However, to go after true waste and fraud a finely honed surgical scalpel is needed, not what these DC clowns are offering.
I would suggest that behavior would begin to change if the very hard and precise work was done to find these real examples with appropriate consequences. I personally know of a few cases where people are taking from the government where they should not, so yes, they do exist and it is infuriating. Having said that the real dollar amount realized would be a miniscule portion of what is being sought. Unfortunately, the system is set up to not really even begin this precise work so we end up with broad based strokes of evil intent that with a 2029 implementation date is totally political with not a whim of fiscal responsibility.
The cowardly scamsters are at it again. IF--big if--they manage to push this through, the cuts don't take effect until 2029. What?! Maybe they don't expect to be in office then? Yah, don't I wish. The lies and deceptions of the Republicans--all of them--truly know no end.
One important point that doesn't seem to be getting much attention is how many rural hospitals (i.e. ones in very red areas) are already barely getting by, and with massive Medicaid cuts, many will likely close.
The end result is that even those with insurance may be unable to get care due to the distances involved to get to a functioning hospital.
In addition, creating millions of uninsured will bring back a huge burden on Emergency Rooms (many in the same nearly insolvent rural hospitals) as uninsured folks end up going to emergency when their health issues are untreated for too long . . . .
The GQP slime are once again proving themselves to be dishonest, cowardly, hypocrites. Pushing a proven failure like "work requirements" is bad enough, but then being so cowardly that it doesn't take effect until the next administration is slimy even for these swamp scum.
Sad that they don't really give a half a damn about deficits since this boondoggle will very clearly blow up the national debt (again . . .). Hypocrites.
Thank you, Jay! This was really helpful and informative. And disgusting.🤮
Pushing people off Medicaid will not just impact the poorest Americans. It will hurt all of us by the effects it will have on healthcare. Poor people without insurance will still need care, and will get it in the most expensive place - the ER, where the law requires that no one is turned away. That will drive up everyone else’s costs since we all have collectively to bear these costs. Insurance premiums and copays will go up for the insured. In addition, hospital margins are already razor-thin, especially in rural America and safety-net hospitals. This will cause many hospitals to close, making care less convenient for many people and increasing wait times for everyone. Democrats need to emphasize these outcomes so that everyone realizes that there are real substantial consequences to everyone if Medicaid is cut, not just to those who lose coverage.
Something that you point out that might not happen is the ability of the poorest to continue to get health care from the ER. The law that exists NOW says they must receive care; there is absolutely nothing to say that these cowardly scamsters won't change the law.
You have to wonder why GOP doesn’t want to help people. They never really have. They certainly don’t need anymore tax cuts. GOP backs Trumps efforts because this is what they wanted since Reagan. Squash the little guy, pay low wages Make America Worse while puffing their chests that the yhave added to their own coffers and bilked the public They are basically willing to let people get sick and possibly die on their watch.
"While there is certainly some “waste, fraud, and abuse” in every government program. . ."
This kind of pat talisman is a whimper where a valiant riposte is needed -- it's a sad cliche in an otherwise very intelligent analysis.
Stop accepting the premise hiding behind this vague, hand-wavy "waste, fraud, and abuse" line.
Two of these three things represent crimes. In a civilized political system, crimes are charged, evidence is presented in court, and justice is delivered.
For such crimes to be occurring at the scale of $715 billion would require massive, systematic misappropriation of public monies.
Vaguely claiming these crimes are occurring without bringing charges or presenting evidence is either a lie or an effort to manufacture group guilt by association. By not standing up vigorously against charges-without-evidence, you make yourself a collaborator when the torch-and-pitchfork crowd comes for whatever group gets tagged as responsible.
You misunderstand my intent in saying so. The Republicans are trying to leverage what amounts to common and predictable amounts of fraud waste and abuse into a justification for stripping hundreds of billions. It’s similar to how they take a single crime by a single migrant and paint an entire community with it.
Some infographics and maps to visualize Republican cuts to Medicaid:
We mapped how many people there are in every congressional district that rely on Medicaid using data from The Center for American Progress. How old are they? How many live below the poverty line? How many have no other form of insurance? And who their Congressional rep is and how to call them with one click. Hold them accountable for their votes to cut Medicaid! https://thedemlabs.org/2025/04/30/republican-chainsaw-massacre-of-medicaid-to-give-tax-cuts-to-billionaires/
Follow the Republican scheme to deny you Medicaid by adding bogus requirements https://thedemlabs.org/2025/04/29/follow-the-republican-scheme-to-deny-you-medicaid-with-bogus-requirements-and-paperwork/
American Genocide: Mapping the Republican scheme to eliminate poor, disabled seniors by cutting Medicaid https://thedemlabs.org/2025/04/10/american-genocide-mapping-the-republican-scheme-to-eliminate-poor-disabled-seniors-by-cutting-medicaid/
Which 26 Republican Districts will suffer the most from MEDICAID being slashed? Check this map. https://thedemlabs.org/2025/02/28/26-republican-districts-to-suffer-most-from-medicaid-cuts-map/
How to bird-dog MAGA reps to hold them accountable for stealing your Federal benefits to give tax cuts to billionaires https://thedemlabs.org/2025/01/28/how-to-bird-dog-maga-reps-for-stealing-your-federal-benefits-medicaid-food-stamps/
Thank you for the deep dive. The “Administration” just keeps topping itself in the realm of cruelty and punishment of those who have less to begin with. I am a restless soul and have not slept well since 2017. 🥱