Laurie Buckhout: The One Big Beautiful Bill Made Health Care More Expensive For Seniors And Older Americans

The One Big Beautiful Bill Would Force Nearly $500 Billion In Medicare Cuts Over The Next Ten Years

The Big Beautiful Bill Would Require Automatic Sequestration Cuts That Would Cause $490 Billion In Cuts To Medicare Over The Next Ten Years. “Because of a statutory requirement to automatically impose budget cuts when legislation increases the deficit, the Big Beautiful Bill would require automatic sequestration cuts across the board, something that has been confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) but has been largely absent from the debate over the bill. Medicare is one of the programs that will face the axe, and the damage sums to $490 billion over the next ten years, starting in the next fiscal year that begins in October. While many of the safety-net cuts in the bill are delayed to help Republicans with their re-election campaigns, the Medicare cuts must begin next year.” [The American Prospect, 7/3/25]

The Republican Reconciliation Bill Could Force Nearly $500 Billion In Medicare Cuts. “President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans’ mammoth tax and immigration bill would add so much to the national debt that it could force nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare beginning in 2026, Congress’s nonpartisan bookkeeper reported late Tuesday.” [Washington Post, 5/21/25]

• HEADLINE: “Trump And GOP’s Tax Bill Would Force Cuts To Medicare, CBO Says.” [Washington Post, 5/21/25]

The One Big Beautiful Bill Made Health Care More Expensive For Seniors On Medicare

HEADLINE: “House Republicans’ Big, ‘Beautiful’ Bill Would Make Health Care More Expensive For Americans With Medicare And Other Insurance.” [Center for American Progress, 6/12/25]

• Costs Would Increase For Americans With Medicaid, Medicare, ACA Marketplace Plans, And Job-Based Insurance. “The House Republican-passed tax and budget reconciliation bill would increase health care costs for many Americans with Medicaid, Medicare, ACA marketplace plans, and job-based insurance. Individuals and families could face steep increases in premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses, amounting to thousands of dollars per year.” [Center for American Progress, 6/12/25]

CBPP: The Republican Reconciliation Bill Would Terminate Cost-Sharing Assistance For 1.4 Million Seniors Dually Eligible For Medicaid And Medicare Resulting In Higher Out-Of-Pocket Costs. “The House Republicans’ bill includes provisions that will add burdens for seniors, contributing to coverage losses and higher costs. One such provision would block implementation of a rule designed to make it easier for low-income seniors and people with disabilities who receive Medicare to access Medicare Savings Programs, a part of state Medicaid programs that help pay people’s Medicare premiums and cost-sharing charges. According to data from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), roughly 1.4 million people who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare would no longer receive this cost-sharing assistance and would therefore face increased out-of-pocket costs under the bill.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/6/25]

The One Big Beautiful Bill Made Health Care More Expensive For Older Americans On ACA Marketplace Plans

HEADLINE: “Older Adults With ACA Coverage Would Face Steep Premium Hikes Under House Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” [Center for American Progress, 6/26/25]

• The House Republican Proposal Would Effectively Price Many Aging Americans Out Of Their Affordable Coverage That They Have Relied On. “These sharp cost increases represent a real threat to older adults’ ability to access health care. If enacted, the House Republican proposal would effectively price many aging Americans out of the affordable coverage they rely on until they become eligible for Medicare.” [Center for American Progress, 6/26/25]

The Republican Reconciliation Bill Would Increase The Costs For Older Adults In The ACA Marketplace. “Another element of House Republicans’ health agenda targets the ACA marketplaces, which provide coverage and financial assistance to more than 20 million people, including many older people not yet eligible for Medicare. The legislation not only fails to extend the expiring enhanced premium tax credits for marketplace coverage, which will lead to skyrocketing premiums, but it also makes changes that will further increase people’s costs, such as changing how maximum out-of-pocket limits are adjusted.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/6/25]

Older Adults Would Face, On Average, At Least A $1,200 Increase In Annual Premiums To Keep Their Current ACA Marketplace Plan. “Last month, House Republicans passed a tax and budget reconciliation bill that, if enacted, would raise health insurance premiums for millions of Americans who purchase coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. A new Center for American Progress analysis makes clear that older adults would be hit especially hard—facing, on average, at least $1,200 more in annual premiums to keep their current ACA marketplace plan. In multiple states, premium hikes for adults 55 years old and older would exceed an average of $10,000—including a staggering $15,200 average increase in West Virginia and a $16,700 average increase in Alaska.” [Center for American Progress, 6/26/25]

CBPP: The Big Beautiful Bill Would Leave Older Adults With Higher Costs And Less Health Care. “The House Republicans’ budget reconciliation legislation would reduce assistance that helps seniors and older adults get needed health coverage and afford sufficient food. The so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is anything but beautiful; it would cause widespread harm by making massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which would raise costs and make it much harder for people to afford the high cost of groceries and health care. More than 7 million seniors with low incomes receive health coverage and care through Medicaid, with over 3 in 5 nursing home residents having their care paid for by Medicaid. Medicaid also covers other long-term services and supports, including home-based services, and helps cover premiums, deductibles, and cost sharing for some Medicare beneficiaries. By cutting Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces by about $1 trillion, the largest cuts in the programs’ history, the House Republican bill would lead states to make large cuts in eligibility or benefits that could leave many older adults with higher costs and less health care.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/6/25]

• HEADLINE: “2025 Budget Impacts: House Bill Would Cut Assistance And Raise Costs For Seniors.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/6/25]

The One Big Beautiful Bill Would Lower Safety And Quality Standards For Nursing Homes

The Republican Reconciliation Bill Would Lower Safety And Quality Standards For Nursing Homes. “The House Republican reconciliation bill would rescind a rule providing for minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. Lowering these standards would set back efforts to ensure safe, quality care for seniors and other people who need nursing facility services.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/6/25]