–Statement by Medicare Rights Center President Fred Riccardi— 

New York, NY—Senate Republicans have followed in the footsteps of their House counterparts, doubling down on reckless plans to slash Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to pay for tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high-income earners. Like the House bill, the Senate language would strip health coverage and access to food from millions of Americans, including older adults and people with disabilities, caregivers, children, and working families. The consequences of these extreme cuts would reverberate across the country and throughout the health care system: more people will die, more hospitals and health clinics will shutter, nursing homes will become more dangerous, and everyone will pay more for care. 

We hoped Senate Republicans would come to their senses and refuse to accept the extreme tangible and moral harms embedded in the House bill. Instead, their proposal is even worse. They want to slash Medicaid more deeply than the House bill, which already represented the largest cut in the program’s history. They want to push even greater costs onto states, providers, and ultimately onto the shoulders of older adults and people with disabilities who would lose access to services that help them live with health, independence, and dignity.  

Together, these cruel and short-sighted proposals benefit those with higher incomes by terminating health and food assistance for those who can least afford it. This includes low-income Medicare enrollees who also have Medicaid, and with it, access to Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low Income Subsidy—programs that help them pay for coverage, care, and other basic needs. Both bills would take this assistance away from millions, putting their lives and well-being at risk.