Nearly 11 million Americans are projected to lose their health insurance under the sweeping House Republican tax and spending package, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Much of the coverage loss would come from steep cuts to Medicaid and significant rollbacks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), two of the largest sources of coverage for low- and middle-income Americans.
The CBO’s analysis estimates that 10.9 million people would become uninsured over the next ten years if the bill which includes key pillars of President Trump’s legislative agenda becomes law. That figure includes approximately 1.4 million individuals currently covered under state-funded programs who lack verified citizenship or permanent immigration status. The bill would prohibit states from using their own funds to provide health insurance to immigrants without full legal status.
But the largest impact would be felt through Medicaid, with roughly 7.8 million Americans expected to lose coverage under new work requirements and tighter eligibility verification systems. Changes to the ACA would further erode coverage, eliminating options and subsidies that help millions afford insurance.
Many of those affected are Trump supporters in working-class and rural areas who rely heavily on Medicaid and subsidized ACA plans for basic healthcare access. For these individuals and families, the bill would mean no insurance and no alternative leaving them with little to no access to doctors, prescriptions, or emergency care.
Democrats quickly seized on the report, calling the bill a direct attack on vulnerable Americans while providing tax breaks to the wealthy. They argue that House Republicans pushed the bill through without waiting for the CBO’s numbers, deliberately hiding its consequences.
“It’s shocking House Republicans rushed to vote on this bill without an accounting from CBO on the millions of people who will lose their health care or the trillions of dollars it would add to the national debt,” said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
He added, “The truth is Republican leaders raced to pass this bill under cover of night because they didn’t want the American people or even their own members to know about its catastrophic consequences.”
As the Senate prepares to take up the legislation, the growing backlash over Medicaid cuts and the loss of healthcare access is becoming one of the most politically volatile aspects of the GOP’s effort especially with millions of Trump supporters directly in the line of fire.