John,

Sixty years ago this week, Medicaid and Medicare were established when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments into law. The programs were a larger part of Johnson’s “War on Poverty” agenda to combat inequality.

Sixty years later, and Medicaid and Medicare are under attack as never before. With the passage of the Big Brutal Budget, $1 trillion was cut from Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act over ten years―the largest health care cut in U.S. history. It would also trigger $490 billion in additional cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act to prevent those cuts.¹

As a result of the budget package, more than 15 million people will lose health insurance, hundreds of rural hospitals will close, and 51,000 people will die preventable deaths each year.^2,3

Congress voted for this harm, and Congress can fix it. We need them to invest in Medicaid and Medicare in order to undo this damage.

Send a message to Congress on the 60th birthday of Medicaid and Medicare, telling them to invest in these critical programs, not cut them.

The Big Brutal Budget is the exact opposite of the “War on Poverty.” The bill was passed with draconian cuts to health care and nutrition to fund more tax handouts for the very wealthy. It took from the poor to give to the rich.

Health care cuts of this magnitude will result in job losses in all states, as health providers will reduce their services, and people will spend less on food and other essential items. It’s estimated that the bill will cost 1.2 million jobs in 2029.⁴

The unpopularity of these cuts cannot be overstated. Eighty-three percent of the American public has a favorable view of Medicaid, including three in four Republicans.⁵ Congress must hear from us loud and clear: reverse course, undo the harm to Medicaid and Medicare in the Big Brutal Budget, and protect health care for more than 71 million people.

On this 60th birthday of Medicaid and Medicare, join us in sending a message to Congress to invest in these critical programs, don’t cut them.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ The Truth About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Cuts to Medicaid and Medicare
² The latest CBO estimates make clear that the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” is anything but
³ Research Memo: Projected Mortality Impacts of the Budget Reconciliation Bill
⁴ How Medicaid and SNAP Cutbacks in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Would Trigger Big and Bigger Job Losses Across States
⁵ Medicaid keeps getting more popular as Republicans aim to cut it by $800 billion