The pharmacy line is long, stretching past the aisles filled with overpriced cold medicine and bandages. A mother clutches her child’s hand, silently praying that the prescription they need is covered. An elderly man shifts his weight, anxiety flickering across his face as he waits to hear if his heart medication will be affordable this month. Across town, a young woman with chronic pain debates whether she can afford to go to the doctor at all.
For millions of Americans, Medicaid is not just a government program—it is the difference between life and death. It is a lifeline that ensures children get check-ups, seniors receive their medications, and low-income families can see a doctor without fear of financial ruin. Yet, this essential program is constantly under threat, subject to political debates that ignore the human cost of its disappearance. If Medicaid were to be gutted or eliminated, the consequences would be devastating, leaving countless Americans without access to basic healthcare and pushing them into cycles of poverty and untreated illness.
Who is Benefitting from Medicaid? And, how?
Medicaid was designed to protect the most vulnerable members of society: low-income individuals, children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and seniors in need of long-term care. Funded jointly by the federal and state governments, the program provides essential health services, including things like doctor visits, prescription medications, preventive care such as vaccines and screenings, and much more. It also provides access to mental health services and addiction treatment, maternity care and postpartum support, long-term care for elderly and disabled individuals, and more.
As of October 2024, Medicaid reported covering nearly 80 million Americans—including nearly half of all children in the U.S. and over 60% of nursing home residents. For many, it is the only way they can afford the care they desperately need.
However, in January, a major disruption by the current administration sent fear and uncertainty to the hearts of these very Americans. The shutdown was related to the government-wide freeze on $3tn in grants and loans, which was paused by a federal judge until February 3, 2025. Now, the fate of the program remains uncertain.
“While the sudden shut down of Medicaid sites around the US may or may not have been an unrelated error – the fact remains that yesterday, the Trump Administration wreaked havoc on the nonprofit sector, a large percentage of which are healthcare related organizations. These organizations were promised federal funding to support much needed services to American citizens and the sudden threat to revoke those promised funds means these organizations now don’t know if they can even remain open,” shares Sarah M. Worthy, CEO of DoorSpace.
If Medicaid funding were slashed or the program eliminated, the fallout would be catastrophic. Millions would be left uninsured, forcing them to choose between medical care and basic necessities like food and rent. Without Medicaid, hospitals would be overwhelmed, emergency rooms would become the primary source of care for those who can’t afford doctor visits, and preventable diseases would spiral out of control.
Without Medicaid, millions of low-income families would lose access to doctors, medications, and preventive care. Children would go without vaccinations, parents would delay doctor visits due to cost, and untreated illnesses would lead to more severe and expensive medical conditions. The cycle of poverty would only deepen as medical debt forces families into financial ruin.
Worthy shares some points people need to know and consider in the healthcare sector:
- Some of the federal funding in question relates to student loans and grants, meaning medical and nursing schools are equally going to be impacted and this will only exacerbate the current clinician shortages
- Many research projects in medicine are supposed to receive this funding, without which – Americans lose ground in innovation and finding new treatments and even cures – delays that cost lives and destroy families.
- These federal dollars aren’t “hand-outs” to the poor. They support organizations that employ Americans full time. This action is going to leave many Americans unemployed while we see costs of living continue to skyrocket
Healthcare should not be a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Yet, time and time again, Medicaid’s existence is debated as if its impact on real lives is not enough to justify its continuation. The loss of Medicaid would disproportionately harm those who already struggle the most—low-income families, the elderly, people with disabilities, and those battling addiction or chronic illnesses.
Medicaid isn’t just a line in a budget—it’s the reason a mother can afford prenatal care, the reason a grandfather can take his heart medication, and the reason a child can get a lifesaving vaccine. Stripping away this essential program would be a moral and economic disaster, one that would push millions of Americans into suffering that could have been prevented.
If Medicaid were to disappear, who would step in to help? Charities cannot replace a national healthcare safety net. Struggling families cannot bear the financial weight of rising medical costs. And hospitals cannot sustain the loss of Medicaid funding while continuing to provide care.
This isn’t a hypothetical scenario—this is a real and urgent threat. Now more than ever, we need to protect and expand Medicaid, not dismantle it. Lives depend on it.