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In a move already sparking fierce backlash, President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" is poised to reshape the U.S. health care system - and at the center of the storm is Medicare.
While the bill doesn't explicitly slash funding for the program, experts warn its massive cost could trigger automatic, devastating cuts to the very system millions of seniors rely on. ed by the House early Thursday morning, the bill pairs sweeping tax cuts with steep reductions in government spending - and health care is taking a hit.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the measure would balloon the national deficit so drastically it would automatically trigger a budget maneuver known as "sequestration." Translation: across-the-board cuts, with Medicare facing up to $490 billion in reductions over the next decade, some as soon as next year.
The most vulnerable classes will feel the impact the most
And it's not just seniors who may feel the blow. Under the bill, groups of immigrants currently receiving Medicare - including lawful residents like refugees and asylees - would lose their benefits within a year of the bill becoming law, regardless of how long they've legally worked in the U.S.
"This Republican budget bill is one of the most expensive - and dangerous - bills Congress has seen in decades," warned Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), ranking member of the House Budget Committee. "The deficit will explode so badly it will trigger automatic cuts, including over half a trillion dollars from Medicare."
Though much of the public focus has been on the bill's staggering $700 billion in Medicaid cuts, critics say the hidden danger lies in the indirect gutting of Medicare through the explosion of the national debt - now over $36.2 trillion.
Trump's betrayal
As the GOP pushes to make room for deep tax breaks, programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and even food assistance are being quietly edged out.
Democrats argue the plan is a betrayal of Trump's past promises to protect Medicare. Meanwhile, millions who benefit from the Affordable Care Act could also lose coverage if key tax credits are allowed to expire at year's end.
In a fast-moving political climate where the details are buried in a 1,000-page bill, Americans are being urged to pay close attention - before the health care safety nets many rely on are quietly dismantled.