Faith & Reflection: Voices from the Black Church and Beyond
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(ThyBlackMan.com) At the end of May, House Republicans pushed through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” and it is now being considered in the Senate, but there is nothing beautiful about it.
It makes big cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and other programs Hoosiers rely on.
I voted against this bill after Republicans refused several of my common-sense amendments that would help save lives. I voted no because of this bill’s devastating impact on America’s health care.
In Indiana, roughly 2 million families rely on Medicaid. That includes veterans, the elderly, the disabled, and children. Over 400,000 Black Hoosiers could be hurt by cuts to the services they need.
My colleagues across the aisle continue to insist that their bill does not touch Medicaid, but that’s wrong. A nonpartisan report confirmed — this bill’s plans to provide tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy wouldn’t be possible without making cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
This bill is estimated to slash health care for 14 million Americans — and about half of those would be people receiving Medicaid. It would do so by shortening the enrollment period and eliminating what Republicans claim is “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the system, yet they fail to recognize most Medicaid recipients are already working but in low-wage jobs that don’t offer health care benefits.
The idea of “fraud” has also been not-so-subtly linked to racist stereotypes. Ronald Reagan introduced the “welfare queen” stereotype that portrays recipients of government aid as poor, unmarried Black women. This stereotype is not only untrue, it’s dangerous.
Black Americans disproportionately rely on Medicaid, making up 20% of Medicaid beneficiaries but only 13% of the general population. But that is due to centuries of disenfranchisement, discrimination and systems that leave our community behind.
Of course, any spending program can be improved and made more efficient. But we must challenge this false narrative of fraud and the racist practice of portraying Black women as more likely to commit that fraud.
Fraud numbers in Medicaid are also incredibly low, far off from the crisis Republicans would like you to believe. The cuts in Medicaid spending are much greater than any fraud that is occurring — my colleagues are simply using this as a reason to justify these cruel cuts.
The bill also imposes new, stricter work requirements. I am not opposed to work requirements that are fair and not punitive against low-income families. I’m in favor of any able-bodied person who can work a meaningful job to do so. A job is not just about income, it’s about dignity and a sense of pride. Many claim imposing work requirements will ensure more people on Medicaid hold jobs and work towards independence.
But that’s not what this bill will do.
Over 65% of Medicaid recipients already work. An additional 28% are not working due to caregiving responsibilities, illness or disability or school attendance, and only 8% are unemployed for other reasons, such as retirement or inability to find work.
These new work requirements have been described as the most restrictive in history. A report from the Congressional Budget Office in 2023 for a similar policy revealed that work requirements would not lead to more Medicaid recipients working, or working more hours. But instead, it will raise costs for states.
This bill will shift the costs of Medicaid from the federal government to the states. Most states can’t afford to pick up the extra costs, and that means people will be cut off from access to health care. Indiana just can’t afford that.
In addition, millions of people eligible for Medicaid could lose coverage because they are unable to meet the burdensome new administrative requirements. That could be as simple as accidentally missing paperwork or having to go to difficult lengths to prove that you are disabled, working, or going to school. That’s unfair to our disabled community, and an insult to working families who already have enough to worry about.
A lesser-discussed aspect of this bill is its steps to significantly roll back coverage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare. Under Democratic leadership, the ACA enrollment reached record highs, with more than 24 million people enrolled for 2025. The ACA has also led to historic reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care. Since the implementation of the ACA, the uninsured rate among Black Americans decreased by 10 percentage points. But this bill undermines this progress.
This bill would also cut legal immigrants off from ACA subsidies, like those who have been granted asylum or are in a 5-year waiting period to be eligible for Medicaid. This bad bill guts provisions we previously passed to fight health disparities and deliver affordable, quality health care to all.
On top of pushing vulnerable families off Medicaid, this bill also shortens the enrollment period on the marketplace to only 45 days. That means fewer people will enroll, especially low-income and uninsured individuals who need more time or assistance navigating the process. This will increase in the uninsured rate, particularly among working-class and vulnerable populations.
Here’s the kicker — despite all these cuts to government programs and essential healthcare, this bill still doesn’t fix the deficit. In fact, it’s estimated to raise the deficit.
I voted against this bill, and I fought for amendments at a marathon committee hearing that lasted from 1 a.m. to 8 p.m. This bill has moved to the Senate, but it’s not too late. Tell your senators that you don’t stand for politicians taking away your health care to give it to their billionaire friends.
Make your voice heard, and let’s stand strong for health care for everyone.
Written by Andre Carson
Official website; https://x.com/RepAndreCarson
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