Ellen Allen: Massive Medicaid cuts coming in ‘beautiful bill’ (Opinion)

Right now, congressional Republicans are advancing a bill that would take away health care coverage from nearly 14 million people in this country, including many here in West Virginia.

And they are doing it all so they can pay for even more tax cuts for corporations.

And even worse, in classic Washington fashion, they are using political spin and poll-tested talking points with coded words like “reform” and “waste, fraud and abuse” to hide the reality of what their legislation will do. Don’t believe the political spin. Here is the truth that those supporting this bill don’t want you to know: this would be the largest cut to Medicaid insurance in the history of the program.

Medicaid is widely popular and highly effective. More than 71 million people in this country, including nearly 40 million children, rely on it for health care coverage. In our state alone, more than 500,000 seniors, people with disabilities, children, pregnant mothers and low-income families rely on Medicaid.

At the heart of these devastating cuts to Medicaid is a proposal they call “work requirements.” Those in favor of terminating health insurance try to frame “work requirements“ as a commonsense way to encourage work and route out waste and abuse in the system. But that could not be further from the truth.

The truth is most people with Medicaid insurance who can work already do. According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly six-in-10 non-disabled adults with Medicaid are employed. Those who aren’t working often face barriers like chronic illness, caregiving responsibilities, lack of transportation or mental health issues — the very issues Medicaid is meant to help address.

And here is another truth that those seeking to gut care under the name of so-called work requirements don’t want you to know: Work requirements do not encourage employment. They create bureaucratic red tape that leads to people losing coverage while increasing administrative costs to states and taxpayers.

We have seen it happen before.

In Arkansas, the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements in 2018, over 18,000 people lost their coverage in just the first few months of implementing the requirement. Most were dropped not because they failed to meet the work threshold, but because they couldn’t navigate the confusing reporting process. In short, under a similar plan to what is currently being considered in Congress, there was no measurable increase in employment — only an increase in those uninsured. And it cost taxpayers over $26 million in administrative costs.

Removing access to health care doesn’t make it easier to find a job. It makes it harder. Medicaid provides more than just health care; it offers a pathway to stability. It helps manage chronic conditions, improves mental health, and provides the security people need to pursue education or employment.

Originally published June 10, 2025 by the Charleston Gazette-Mail.