TL/DR –
The Trump administration and nearly all congressional Republicans have been working to make health care less accessible for middle- and low-income people since January 2025, according to Linda J. Blumberg, a research professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Their tactics include demanding burdensome requirements and documentation for Medicaid recipients, promoting inadequate health plans and savings accounts as alternatives to government-funded tax credits, and imposing new rules that make enrolling in and maintaining health insurance more difficult. These obstacles, Blumberg argues, needlessly prevent access to affordable medical care and will have devastating effects on America’s working class.
Healthcare System Harm: Trump’s Actions and How We Can Stop Them
Smart policies in the past 15 years managed to reduce the rate of uninsured Americans under the age of 65 by almost half. This feat, from roughly 1 in 5 to fewer than 1 in 10, majorly benefited those in the working class. However, the Trump administration seems hell-bent on eradicating these gains.
Since 2025, President Donald Trump and almost all congressional Republicans have been making it increasingly difficult for low- and middle-income citizens to access healthcare. This has disrupted lives, and the reasons they put forth are false.
Healthcare Accessibility Hindered by Red Tape
Republicans falsely claim that a significant number of Medicaid recipients are choosing not to work. This incorrect image justifies the imposition of burdensome requirements and documentation for applicants and enrollees. The truth is, over 90% of them were already engaged in work, school, childcare responsibilities, or are living with disabilities, which exempts them from these new requirements.
This unnecessary law creates real problems. It primarily leads to the denial of insurance coverage to eligible low-income people who are complying with the law due to the strict reporting requirements. Furthermore, these restrictions come into effect right after November’s midterm elections, reducing political backlash.
Substandard Health Plans Do Not Provide Adequate Coverage
Republicans falsely assert that putting money in health savings accounts or expanding the availability of cheaper, weaker health plans would benefit consumers more than the government-funded premium tax credits.
The reality is that the alternative for affordable comprehensive insurance Trump praises have extremely limited benefits. These plans can outright deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and expose enrollees to high out-of-pocket costs once they start receiving care.
Additionally, the contributions to savings accounts would be insignificant compared to the costs of significant illness or injury. Meanwhile, the reduction of credits for comprehensive insurance means that the cost of buying a federal government marketplace plan will increase over fourfold for low-income people and will more than double for middle-income people. Millions will lose their insurance as a result of the congressional rollback, leaving individuals in a predicament between financial ruin and forgoing necessary care when facing illness or injury.
‘Waste, Fraud, and Abuse’ Used as a Political Pretext
Republicans incorrectly state that recent changes to law and regulations prevent “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Instead of addressing actual fraudulent activities committed by some private broker entities, they blame consumers. They have created more difficult and unnecessary hurdles to make it harder for people to enroll in and keep their health insurance. These hurdles include requirements for additional proof of eligibility, near elimination of the navigator program, eliminating special enrollment periods, and changing formulas to increase premiums and out-of-pocket costs for those needing care among others. These roadblocks serve only to prevent access to affordable insurance and medical care.
Trump’s actions are leading us down a path of unnecessary cruelty. The midterm elections offer our best chance to limit the destruction and refocus on the actual improvements needed in our health system. With people’s lives hanging in the balance, these elections cannot come soon enough.
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