Source: The New Republic
by Timothy Noah
“Among the more striking changes in American politics over the past half-century is the evolution of Medicaid into a ‘third rail’. House Republicans, as they rushed early Thursday morning to cut not quite $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next 10 years, were at best only dimly aware of this. They’re in for a terrible shock. Medicaid’s progress, from a stepchild program in 1965 that provided limited health care for the indigent, into today’s much more ambitious and capacious program serving significantly more lower-income Americans, happened gradually. Medicaid once served a small and politically powerless constituency that conservatives could threaten to defund without much fear of reprisal. But today, Medicaid commands not merely a significant voting bloc, but a significant Republican voting bloc. Not many House Republicans wished to hear about that when they passed the budget reconciliation bill, 215–214.” (05/22/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/195602/house-republicans-medicaid-third-rail