On Wednesday, Donald Trump invited a handful of wavering GOP moderates to make his one last sales pitch for his beloved ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ but instead ended up learning how he had slashed a major campaign promise. The awkward White House gathering unraveled how the legislation slashed Medicaid, the program he promised never to touch if Republicans “want to win elections.”
According to a report from NOTUS, three sources emphasized that the President declared he would not touch Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security benefits. “But we’re touching Medicaid on this bill,” the GOP moderates pointed out.
MediaIte reported that the Congressional Budget Office says that the Senate-passed version of the Big Beautiful bill made a little over $1 trillion cut of Medicaid as part of a $1.2 trillion package of safety-net cuts. This could deprive roughly 11 million Americans of coverage.
The same bill pours $150 billion into the Pentagon and at least $350 billion towards immigration enforcement, including salaries for 10,000 new ICE recruits. However, the 940-page monster made a surprising cut to Medicaid, pointing out how Donald Trump failed to keep up with his pre-election promises.
According to the Daily Beast, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NOTUS that the legislation “takes decisive action to protect Medicaid for generations to come by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse… President Trump is committed to protecting Medicaid for the vulnerable Americans who rely on it most.”
Little-known provision of the Big Beautiful Bill: you can lose your health care because you’re looking for work, not enrolled in a government program. More in testimony here: https://t.co/Ubyg5x8d4u pic.twitter.com/6f0mrFw2Nw
— Robert Gordon (@robertmgordon) June 29, 2025
GOP’s plans in the bill will affect the health care access in major five ways. First, the proposed Medicaid work requirement that would cut off coverage of millions of Americans ho do not meet the employment or reporting standards.
In 40 states and Washington D.C., where the program has been expanded under the Affordable Care Act, people will have to regular file proves of their work to claim the benefits. In addition, the cuts will affect rural communities, where they could result in fewer health services, fewer professionals, and fewer numbers of hospitals.
The Big Beautiful Bill ends that arrangement by restricting Medicaid eligibility.
According to the official data from the CBO (see below), that kicks a whopping 1.4 million illegal immigrants off the Medicaid rolls. pic.twitter.com/zTeutcnpIz
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) July 1, 2025
ACA market players’ policyholders now have to update their income and immigration status every year, rather than being automatically allowed to reenroll and retain their plans. The bill also shortens the annual open enrollment period by about a month, allowing people less time to do so.
According to NPR, many Medicaid enrollees could have to pay more from their pockets for doctor appointments following the new income standard. Last but not least, hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are lawfully staying in the United States may lose access to subsidized ACA plans. This could also affect asylum-seekers, victims of trafficking, and refugees.
