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Protect Medicaid: Save Lives, Save Communities
Medicaid funding is crucial to AFT members and the communities we serve. Access to healthcare is key for seeking and maintaining a job, but the program faces funding cuts in 2025.
Republicans at the federal level are threatening to shrink this life saving program to pay for tax cuts.
Cuts to Medicaid will impact schools and hospitals.
Schools
State Medicaid programs—and federal contributions to Medicaid, which cover at least half of spending—have been instrumental in ensuring consistent financing. Since 1988, Medicaid dollars in schools have supported:
- Salaries for health professionals, such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists and school nurses;
- High-quality physical and mental health services such as targeted case management, health education, cognitive behavioral therapy, catheterization, audiology and physical therapy;
- Medical transportation for select students with individual education programs;
- Equipment, including wheelchairs, lifts and therapeutic bicycles; and
- Program administration, which can include helping eligible families enroll and even translations for diverse populations.
- Click here (and scroll down) to see the percentage of students supported by Medicaid/CHIP in your school district
Hospitals
Medicaid spent $262.6 billion on hospital care in 2022. Hospital spending accounted for 33 percent of total Medicaid spending and Medicaid payments to hospitals accounted for 19 percent of all payments to hospitals in 2022.
Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital funding helps to keep safety-net hospitals open. AFT members are currently fighting to keep SUNY Downstate open.
Click here to see how many people use Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program in your Congressional district: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2024/12/04/medicaid-chip-coverage-by-congressional-district-2023/
Potential Hospital Jobs Lost From Proposed Medicaid Cuts*
| Job Title | Current Jobs | Jobs Threatened by a 30 percent cut | Jobs Threatened by a 53.7 percent cut |
| RNs | 1,749,320 | 99,711 | 178,483 |
| Nursing assistants | 410,930 | 23,423 | 41,927 |
| Building and grounds maintenance | 177,160 | 10,098 | 18,076 |
| Radiology techs | 129,340 | 7,372 | 13,197 |
| Respiratory therapists | 98,060 | 5,589 | 10,005 |
| LPNs/LVNs | 84,870 | 4,838 | 8,659 |
| Surgery techs | 75,160 | 4,284 | 7,669 |
| Nurse practitioners | 61,740 | 3,519 | 6,299 |
| Total | 2,786,580 | 158,835 | 284,315 |
*The Trump administration’s Department on Government Efficiency is an advisory body that seeks to cut the federal budget by 30 percent (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdj38mekdkgo). The Congressional Republican Study Committee has proposed reducing funding to the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace subsidies and Medicaid by 53.7 percent. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2024/06/17/project-2025-blueprint-also-includes-draconian-cuts-to-medicaid/).
Don’t believe the lies about Medicaid being a handout.
This is a fight we can win. Regardless of politics, people support Medicaid.
