<img src="https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&amp;c2=36750692&amp;cv=3.6.0&amp;cj=1"> 'The best healthcare is a job': Senator John Thune sparks outrage as he shrugs off Medicaid cut concerns to push Trump’s megabill – We Got This Covered
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‘The best healthcare is a job’: Senator John Thune sparks outrage as he shrugs off Medicaid cut concerns to push Trump’s megabill

The CBO approximates 4.8 million will be kicked out of Medicaid.

The push to weaken Medicaid is at full force. During his campaigns, Trump assured voters that his incoming istration would not take away their medical coverage but recent developments suggest that was just another one of his famed alternative facts. Recently, Senate Majority Leader John Thune also weighed in on the matter, suggesting that if you ever need medical coverage — get a job.

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Trump has been touting the “big beautiful bill” that he’s seemingly eyeing as his legacy. The bill has faced numerous criticisms, including from some of Trump’s closest allies. A portion of the criticism stems from the concern that it will balloon the national deficit in its attempt to cut taxes. However, the biggest concern right now is that when — or rather if — the bill becomes law, Medicaid will be fundamentally altered. One of the most controversial changes is the introduction of working hour requirements for U.S. citizens, reportedly aimed at cutting $880 billion from the program.

Republican Senator John Thune echoed similar sentiments while advocating for the bill, which he is fully intent on pushing through the House. According to Thune, “The best healthcare is a job.” That dismissive candor alone caused an uproar online. But s on X brought additional context to the conversation.

X Melanie D’Arrigo pointed out that currently, 30% of American jobs offer no healthcare coverage at all. She also noted that 49% of employed Americans cannot afford healthcare without incurring debt. For Melanie, this is all just a ploy by the Trump istration to find new ways to make life even easier for the elite class. 

As for the Trump istration, they’ve simply resorted to obfuscating the facts. Trump himself told a reporter that there would be no interruptions to Medicaid. Meanwhile, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, claimed on CNN that no one would lose coverage as a result of the bill. That final claim was promptly refuted by Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown, who pointed out that in Ohio alone, 770,000 people would be removed from coverage if the bill es.

The istration’s talking point is that the bill is designed to reduce waste and fraud. They’ve also alleged that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is not reliable, citing supposed past errors. But the CBO has long maintained a reputation for non-partisanship and has even refuted claims by high-level Democratic representatives who have made approximates that were as high as 14 million out of medicaid. Washington Post reports The CBO’s own projections estimate that 4.8 million people would lose coverage due to this new bill.

The bill is currently in the Senate, where even internal GOP deliberations are ongoing regarding the specific fiscal proposals. Now is the time to your representatives and make your views known, as the bill is still under debate. Once it es, your entire life — and your access to medical care — could change overnight.

This marks a definitive crossroads in the nation’s healthcare policy. The bill doesn’t just raise questions about which numbers are acceptable — it forces the country to confront whether healthcare for Americans is a right or a privilege. And disturbingly, the entire debate seems to hinge on whether billionaires are in need of yet more relief.


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Author
Image of Fred Onyango
Fred Onyango
Fred Onyango is an entertainment journalist who primarily focuses on the intersection of entertainment, society, and politics. He has been writing about the entertainment industry for five years, covering celebrity, music, and film through the lens of their impact on society and politics. He has reported from the London Film Festival and was among the first African entertainment journalists invited to cover the Sundance Film Festival. Fun fact—Fred is also a trained pilot.