The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” or the House GOP mega bill is spreading dread among the national healthcare system of the US. This monolithic bill, should it become law, is set to deliver massive healthcare program supply cuts including Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) which will potentially hit millions of the citizens in America. Our aim in this article is to discuss the content of the bill, its possible consequences on the population of the U.S., and the remedies that can be taken to prevent its negative effects from happening.
What is the House GOP Megabill?
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is a bill introduced by House Republicans that is a mix of tax and spending legislation. Among its most contentious parts is the spending reduction in health programs such as Medicaid and the ACA. The bill seeks to achieve this by making a $800 billion cut in the future decade and introducing work requirements, as well as withdrawing federal financing for certain immigrant populations. In addition, the bill stops the subsidy establishment of the ACA, which is extremely important for millions of low-income Americans.
How Will the Bill Affect U.S. Citizens?
Based on the expectations from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) about 11 million Americans are going to be without health insurance if this bill is implemented. The projection is that many more people from these unfortunate souls will be facing higher premiums, reduced benefits, and also many of them will not be in a position to access care easily. According to CBO, just about 4.2 million persons will lose insurance as a result of the expiration of ACA subsidies, which may but significantly families’ premiums.
Furthermore, the new work requirements in the Medicaid program are going to exclude millions of low-income individuals from the list of people eligible to receive benefits, which would make it more difficult for them to keep their health insurance. Elderly adults, children, and immigrants would be the most marginalized groups who might face the greatest challenges in keeping their coverage.
Solutions to Mitigate the Impact
Although the law might disrupt health insurance coverage for a large number of citizens of the United States, there are some ways that are being discussed on how to counteract this impact:
State-Level Action: It is the states that can extend the eligibility of Medicaid and use the means of the state to offset the reduction. Already, there are some states which are searching for possible ways to ensure more inclusive health coverage.
Extension of ACA Subsidies: The continuation of expanded ACA subsidies is advocated by a large number of health policy experts to help families with both low and middle incomes pay for insurance
Public Advocacy and Legislative Pressure: Besides public opinion, which is of fundamental importance in decision-making processes, the locus of control of the people rests with the fact that they can directly reach their representatives to voice the concern about the impact that the bill has on their communities and prompt reform.
Alternative Health Plans: The fear of being left without health care coverage, for people in such a predicament, short-term health plans and the options available on the marketplace for a certain period of time might be helpful; nevertheless, there are some limitations.
The House GOP Megabill has introduced healthcare accessibility to be a subject of serious concern in the U.S., which has put at risk the insurance of millions of people. The innovation and the role of citizens in the state level, the public support, and the elongation of ACA subsidies can be significant strands of the solution the nation could adopt to alleviate the situation. As the bill goes through the stages of the law-making process, it is important that people are aware of what it contains and are active in their engagement to keep themselves safe through insurance.
