Opinion: The Senate’s version of Trump’s tax-cut bill threatens safety-net hospitals like ours
Senate version of Trump’s tax-cut bill “poses an existential threat to our hospitals and to the Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries we serve,” write CEOs of two major health systems.
We appreciate President Trump’s steadfast commitment to protecting Medicare and Medicaid and his leadership in standing with America’s working families, seniors, and veterans. As leaders of urban health systems that serve our nation’s most vulnerable — low-income workers, children, and the elderly — we are writing with both deep appreciation and growing concern to urge that the president and Congress protect the safety-net hospitals that provide essential care to the Americans who need it most.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as passed by the House of Representatives, grandfathers existing payments and financing for state Medicaid programs that enable our hospitals to serve and improve care and outcomes for our communities. Unfortunately, the Senate draft reconciliation bill would gut the protections in the House bill by slashing payment rates to safety-net hospitals that provide lifesaving and chronic care to low-income patients and communities.
