Speakers<\/b><\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/08-01-25-Medicaid-60-speakers.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
- \n
- Dr. Ilan Shapiro Strygler<\/strong>, SVP, Chief Health Correspondent and Medical Affairs Officer, AltaMed Health Services<\/li>\n
- Cary Sanders<\/strong>, Senior Policy Director, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Anthony Wright<\/strong>, Executive Director, Families USA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nCoverage Losses on the Horizon<\/b><\/h3>\n
The Congressional Budget Office projects the law will leave 11.8 million Americans uninsured by 2034, with another 5.1 million losing coverage due to other provisions \u2014 including the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits at the end of this year.<\/p>\n
The legislation also cuts $500 billion from Medicare, which serves seniors and disabled Americans. In 2024, 12.8 million people were enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare.<\/p>\n
Experts warn the cuts will strain hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and maternity wards that rely heavily on Medicaid, particularly in rural areas. Nearly half of U.S. children and 41% of births nationwide are covered by the program. In some states and rural communities, that figure rises above 60%.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a disastrous bill. That it passed is a major setback to health care, health coverage, and health costs,\u201d said Anthony Wright.<\/p>\n
Wright pointed to an upcoming September 30 deadline, when Congress must decide whether to extend or eliminate ACA premium tax credits. Without them, premiums could rise by 75% on average for 20 million Americans, and 4.2 million could lose coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, this is a cut to hospitals, clinics, providers, and state governments,\u201d Wright said. \u201cCongress extended trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but they didn\u2019t even extend the tax credits that help people afford health care.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Domino Effect of Disinvestment<\/b><\/h3>\n
Dr. Ilan Shapiro Strygler compared today\u2019s cuts to pre-Medicaid days when families often had to choose between food, education, and medical care.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy patients before, when there was no coverage, were using the ER as a principal point of healthcare,\u201d he said. \u201cERs save lives, but they\u2019re not the place to manage diabetes, high blood pressure, or mammograms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strygler also warned of compounding challenges for immigrant families, who may avoid care due to heightened fears under federal data-sharing agreements with Homeland Security. \u201cComplications are going to go up, things we can prevent, and then the cost will start going up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Why Medicaid Matters<\/b><\/h3>\n
Medicaid remains one of the most cost-efficient U.S. health programs, with administrative costs around 5% of spending \u2014 far lower than the 12\u201318% overhead typical for private insurance.<\/p>\n
But advocates stress that its value extends beyond efficiency. \u201cMedicaid came into existence 60 years ago as a Civil Rights-era program to ensure that government provided basic health care to poor people,\u201d said Cary Sanders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s foundational to advancing health equity,\u201d she continued. \u201cA cut is not just to the individual. It\u2019s to the entire system.\u201d<\/p>\n
California as a National Model<\/b><\/h3>\n
California projects a $30 billion loss in federal funding and coverage losses for 3.4 million residents. A UC Berkeley Labor Center study estimates this will mean 217,000 lost jobs, $37 billion in reduced economic output, and $1.7 billion less in state and local tax revenue.<\/p>\n
Still, the state\u2019s historic expansions of Medi-Cal \u2014 its version of Medicaid \u2014 may provide a roadmap for resistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter how people try to sell this bill, the more people know about it, the less popular it is,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cMaybe now, in this moment where we have so much to lose, it\u2019s time to make sure everybody is paying their fair share.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
All photos provided by ACoM<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As Medicaid marks its 60th anniversary, the program is confronting the largest rollback of federal health care subsidies in U.S. history. The One Big Beautiful Act, signed by President Trump on July 4, slashes federal Medicaid spending by 15%, eliminating more than $1 trillion in federal health care and food aid over the next decade….<\/p>\n
- Cary Sanders<\/strong>, Senior Policy Director, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n