Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Work Requirements Could Be Instituted In Early 2027
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Monday that Republicans are eyeing early 2027 as the target date for the new Medicaid work requirements in the large budget package intended to advance and solidify President Trumps agenda. The timeline for the bills new work requirements remains up in the air, as Republican leadership continues to negotiate with warring factions of the conference over details of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which would extend Trumps tax cuts and boost his border funding priorities while reforming Medicaid and food assistance programs. (Fortinsky, 5/19)
President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill early Tuesday to seal the deal on his big, beautiful bill, using the power of political persuasion to unify divided House Republicans on the multitrillion-dollar package that is at risk of collapsing ahead of planned votes this week. Trump has implored GOP holdouts to STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE. But negotiations are slogging along and its not at all clear the package, with its sweeping tax breaks and cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs, has the support needed from the Houses slim Republican majority, who are also being asked to add some $350 billion to Trumps border security, deportation and defense agenda. (Mascaro, Freking and Askarinam, 5/20)
Republicans knew theyd have to overcome fierce internal divisions, thorny policy trade-offs and rock-solid Democratic resistance to pass their massive domestic policy bill. They didnt count on a Wall Street backlash, too. A softening Treasury bond market and surprise downgrade Friday of U.S. creditworthiness are the latest forces weighing on the GOP megabill an unmistakable nudge to lawmakers that investors are growing increasingly concerned about legislation that could pile trillions of dollars more onto an already staggering national debt. (Guggenheim, Sutton and Lee Hill, 5/19)
The Medicaid battle being waged by House Republicans is just the latest iteration of a long-running fight to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Millions of Americans stand to lose health coverage if the Medicaid cuts in the latest version of the reconciliation bill become law. (Peck, 5/20)
