The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the Big Brutal Bill this week and—like its House counterpart—it’s devastating for nutrition and health care programs for vulnerable communities.
The Senate proposal includes the largest cut to SNAP in history, as part of a budget package that guts basic needs programs.
The bill also contains the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, and will result in 16 million people losing their health insurance. A recent analysis of the House-passed bill found that because of the cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and reduced staffing requirements at nursing homes, 51,000 people will die each year.
Additionally, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as many as 330 rural hospitals nationwide could close or reduce services as a result of this bill. And, new research shows that cuts to Medicaid along with SNAP will reduce jobs by 1.2 million nationwide, equivalent to about a 0.8% increase in the unemployment rate.
Cutting the heart out of basic needs programs including SNAP and Medicaid doesn’t save states or the federal government money—it denies care and creates bigger problems down the road, shifting the burden to service providers, local governments, and taxpayers. This will lead to higher costs and more strain on budgets—household and state budgets alike. And it will cost lives.
It’s not too late to change course. Now more than ever, it’s critical that the Senate act to protect health care, nutrition, and other essential services that help millions of families meet their basic needs. We should strengthen support for these programs—not take them away
View an archive of this webinar here.
On September 22nd, the Department of Homeland Security publicized a proposed rule change that would make using health, anti-hunger, anti-poverty, or affordable housing programs a disqualifier for some immigrants, putting millions of families at risk. The proposed Public Charge rule would punish immigrants going through official immigration processes and their families for applying for or receiving benefits for which they are legally eligible.
Once the proposed rule change is published, there will be a 60 day period for the public to leave comments. The Coalition on Human Needs is hosting a webinar on on behalf of our partners at the Center for Law and Social Policy and the National Immigration Law Center. On this webinar, you’ll find out what you need to know about the public charge rule, why this change is so dangerous, and what we can do about it.