JUST THE FACTS
Published
2 hours ago
on
June 25, 2025
The office of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released a new report showing that President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” would have devastating effects on the number of uninsured Americans over the next 10 years.
Sanders announced the report Wednesday in a Senate hearing about Trump’s budget proposal passed by the House. In a clip posted to his official Bluesky account, Sanders called out the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and its chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), for not commissioning a report itself.
We must not throw 16 million low-income and working class Americans off of the health care they have in order to give massive tax breaks to billionaires.That is obscene.
— Senator Bernie Sanders (@sanders.senate.gov) 2025-06-25T16:56:03.776Z
“Since this committee has refused to bring health care providers before us, I am releasing today a report on the impact that this legislation would have on our nation’s health care system. Committee didn’t do it. We did it. And I did that by reaching out to health care providers all across this country. And let me thank the over 750 health care providers from 47 states, probably every state represented here, who responded to our request,” Sanders said.
READ MORE: ‘Pushed Up to the Edge of the Cliff’: GOP Proposals Would Kick Millions Off Health Care
The Big Beautiful Bill includes a cut to Medicaid spending of $793 billion across 10 years. Medicaid currently costs the U.S. government about $606 billion per year, which covers 69% of its total funding. The additional 31%, $274 billion, comes from individual states, according to health policy organization KFF. These cuts could result in the deaths of as many as 24,600 people per year, according to an analysis published by the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Sanders’ report breaks out the rate of uninsured people across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, between 2023 and 2034. While every state has an increase of at least 20%, the average increase is 65%. Three states—New York, Washington and Massachusetts—will more than double the amount of uninsured people, while the District of Columbia’s number of uninsured will go up by a staggering 229%.
The report also includes quotes from health care providers talking about how the Big Beautiful Bill would affect them.
“If Medicaid is cut, my patients will die. I realize I am being dramatic. It is a dramatic situation.” Dr. Helen Pope of Louisiana told Sanders’ office. “They are humans who are doing their best. Please don’t allow them to suffer more.”
“The provisions would ultimately make healthcare more expensive and less accessible while paradoxically making Medicaid unsustainable. When patients lose access to preventive care, they rely on emergency services and dangerous self-treatment, both driving up costs for everyone. Medicaid allows us to treat and prevent disabling conditions like diabetes and hypertension—without it, these become irreversible.” Dr. Nikhil Kurapati of Ohio said.
“These cuts will cause rural hospitals in Texas to close entirely. As a neurologist, I am terrified that the closest hospital for many rural folks may then be hours away. During an ischemic stroke, there is only 3 hours of precious time . . . the increased travel time may cause unnecessary cases of paralysis and death.” Dr. Audrey Nath of Texas told the senator’s office.
Trump has tried to cut Medicaid before, failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act during his first term. Despite Trump’s efforts, government-assisted health care is still widely popular, with 57% of Americans saying the government should ensure health care, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. Health care in the U.S. ranks last out of 11 high income countries, according to a 2021 study by the Commonwealth Fund.
Image via Shutterstock