The Big Ugly Bill is awful. As of this writing, the vote-a-rama continues.
Statistica: “The ‘Big Beautiful Bill Act’ could add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next ten years, according to an assessment published by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office…
“The so-called reconciliation bill calls for a range of tax cuts amounting to $3.7 trillion, including a temporary pause of taxes on tips and overtime pay. At the same time, it would slash $1.2 trillion in spending across federal programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“The CBO estimates that as it stands, the act would leave some 10.9 million people without health insurance by 2034, including 1.4 million who are in the U.S. without permanent legal status in state-funded programs. This could rise to 16 million people due to expiring tax credits and new Affordable Care enrollment requirements.”
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discusses “the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ what will happen if it’s passed, and what it has in common with Apple’s Terms and Conditions.”
Dear Kellyanne Conway: I Have a Job, But You Still Want to Take My Healthcare. “I was dismayed to learn of your recent comments stating that people who receive Medicaid and would lose it under the Republicans’ proposed health care plan can just ‘get a job’ that provides health insurance. Your words are misleading and inaccurate. You see, I and millions of others who would lose healthcare do have jobs. But Medicaid is the only option to get the help we need.”
The Relief Pitcher and Joni Hearse
[On June 3], “the Yale School of Public Health sent a letter to Senate Democratic leaders with a new analysis showing that the One Big Beautiful Bill’s changes to federal health care programs would kill more than 51,000 Americans annually. Nearly 15 million are liable to lose health coverage as a result of the bill, due to enrollment changes on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, Medicaid cuts that are the largest in U.S. history, and the end of support for the Medicare Savings Program, which grants access to subsidized prescriptions. Those cuts would cost about 29,500 people their lives, the Yale researchers estimate.
“Another 13,000 largely poor nursing home residents would die from the repeal of the Biden administration’s safe staffing rule, which would remove the minimum number of nurses on call in those facilities. And close to 9,000 would die from the government’s failure to extend enhanced premium support for the ACA that expires at the end of the year, making health coverage unaffordable for another five million Americans.
“It’s not easy to wring a compelling message out of legislation that will cause 51,000 deaths. You can lie that the cuts aren’t cuts, but that only gets you so far. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), for example, was clearly flummoxed when confronted at a town hall in Butler, Iowa… with the fact that people will die because of the bill. So she went philosophical.
“‘Well, we all are going to die,’ Ernst said, in one of the most misguided attempts to quiet constituent fears I’ve seen in my political lifetime.”
MAGA misinformation
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Views of the One Big Beautiful Bill (June 17) “As the Republican-backed bill proposes sweeping cuts to Medicaid spending as well as changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), overall favorability of both programs reach all-time highs…
- “A majority of the public (68%), including nine in ten Republicans and MAGA supporters, as well as half of Democrats, support Medicaid work requirements as described in the House bill. Yet, most people are unaware that most Medicaid recipients are already working, and attitudes can change once people are provided with additional information. For example, support for Medicaid work requirements drops as low as 35% (a 33-point decrease in support) when proponents hear that most people on Medicaid are already working and that many would be at risk of losing coverage because of difficulty completing paperwork to prove their eligibility.
- On the other hand, support increases as high as 79% (an 11-point increase) if opponents hear the argument that imposing these requirements could save money and help fund Medicaid for the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income children. This shows how persuasive an argument can be even if it is not factually true.
Clay Bennett cartoon
Dear Canada, I am genuinely sorry.