Republicans Slash Medicaid Funding

Kentucky’s governor pulled $255 million from a state surplus to stop a 4% Medicaid cut set for August 1.

One year of relief. Maybe.

The cuts are real, and the costs are landing at your kitchen table.

In Kentucky, nearly 2 in 5 people use Medicaid. A cut there hits families, clinics, and hospital bills.

Four percent. August 1.

This is not a one-state story.

Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, tightening coverage rules and reducing funding for state programs.

Three million fewer people are enrolled on the health insurance exchanges than when that bill passed, federal data show.

The nonpartisan budget office projects about 10 million fewer people will have insurance by 2034.

When fewer people are covered, more bills land on you.

Republicans know this is unpopular. They’re flooding swing districts with health care ads about “affordability,” “fraud,” and “rural hospitals.”

One even pushed a false claim about undocumented immigrants and benefits, trying to stoke blame instead of fixing costs.

Cuts raise your costs.

Hospitals don’t eat losses. Families do.

So states scramble. Kentucky patched the hole with surplus cash. For one year.

Next year?

If the biggest Medicaid cuts in history stand — and state leaders are already “panicked,” as one health care group put it — your doctor’s visit gets pricier, your wait gets longer, your family carries more risk.

This was a choice.

You do not have to become a Democrat. You do have to stop Republicans from finishing this.

Vote like your medical bill depends on it. Because it does.

• Share this with someone who voted Republican last time
• Ask your state leaders how they will protect Medicaid next year
• Commit to vote against Republican control in 2026
• Check your voter registration at Vote.gov

Countdown

The 2026 midterms are in 85 days.

References

Ahead of midterms, Republicans run ads after cutting healthcare funds – NPR — Jul 31, 2026
Republicans Made the Biggest Cuts to Medicaid in History and the State Leaders Who Run It Are “Panicked” – protectourcare.org — Jul 30, 2026
Governor reverses Medicaid cuts using surplus funds as KY House Speaker pushes back – LEX 18 News — Jul 22, 2026