Around 1.6 million Americans lost their Medicaid coverage during the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to KFF. Jasmine Laws reports for Newsweek.
Because of the Republican “big beautiful bill,” which cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, millions more people are expected to lose their Medicaid coverage. Whatever happens, it’s pretty clear that states will not have nearly as much money as they have had to pay for Medicaid as a result of the Trump budget law. With less money, fewer people will be able to get Medicaid, many more hospitals will struggle to survive or close and many people will lose health-care related jobs. In turn, communities will lose business.
The 1.6 million Americans who lost their health insurance already did so as a result of a process that began back in 2023 during the Covid pandemic. The Biden Administration, at that time, loosened eligibility requirements for Medicaid, and Medicaid expanded to cover 87 million people over three years from 64.5 million in March 2020. It was not until March 2023 that federal law permitted states to disenroll Americans from Medicaid who had been able to enroll during the pandemic.
Now, with the upcoming $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, the plight of people with Medicaid will only worsen. New paperwork burdens associated with Medicaid work requirements will make it harder for people eligible for Medicaid to enroll or stay enrolled.
In early January, 72 million Americans had Medicaid. As of July 2025, 70.4 million had Medicaid. With less government investment in Medicaid, health care costs for everyone with insurance will likely rise further and health outcomes will suffer.
Seventeen million fewer people have Medicaid today than they did in April 2023. And, the number of Medicaid enrollees will continue to go down as a result of the Trump budget law. The number of uninsured will rise significantly. The people most at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, although they qualify, are the most vulnerable people, people who cannot navigate the administrative hurdles required in order to remain in Medicaid or enroll for the first time.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- How Ohio saved tens of millions by cutting the pharmacy middlemen out of Medicaid
- How Connecticut Eliminated Capitated Managed Care in Medicaid
- How to save Medicaid dollars? Remove Medicaid’s insurer middlemen
- You might be eligible for a Medicare Savings Program
- Federal cuts to Medicaid will have devastating consequences for older adults and people with disabilities
