On Tuesday night, House Republicans voted to pass a budget bill that, if signed into law, would cut federal funding for state Medicaid programs by more than $800 billion. The Democratic governor of ruby-red Kentucky believes that could prove politically costly for the GOP in the future.
During a Wednesday night segment, MSNBC host Chris Hayes pointed out that in Kentucky, roughly one in three residents depend on Medicaid in order to afford health insurance. And approximately half of all children in the Bluegrass State are also dependent on Medicaid. Additionally, Kentucky has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation, which Hayes attributed to Governor Andy Beshear's decision to accept federal help to expand the Affordable Care Act to cover more Kentuckians.
Beshear told Hayes that if Republicans followed through on their plans to enact significant cuts to Medicaid, it would be "devastating" to his state and a "betrayal" as Kentucky has reliably voted for Republican presidential and congressional candidates for decades. The two-term Democratic governor added that it would also "devastate rural healthcare" in the commonwealth, where a significant portion of residents live in rural communities.
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"Rural hospitals will close around the country. And then our people will have to drive a couple hours to a big city just to see the same doctor or nurse that was laid off in their hometown because of cuts to Medicaid," Beshear said. "It's a mistake. The American people will react and will react strongly. And I hope Congress doesn't go there."
Kentucky's Medicaid program covers drug addiction treatment in addition to providing health insurance for low-income Americans. Beshear pointed out that thanks to Medicaid expansion, overdose deaths in the commonwealth have dropped significantly year-over-year, including by almost 10% in 2023.
"Healthcare is a basic human right," Beshear said. "Those are people that are alive today. our brothers, sisters, friends. parents and kids. now, because of the coverage that Medicaid provides."
"I believe that at the end of the day, the things that the Aamerican people care about the most are their job and whether they make enough to support their family, the roads and bridges they drive on every day, the schools they drop their kids off at, the safety in their community and their next doctor's appointment for themselves, their kids or their parents," he added. "And this will complicate that significantly, make it harder on the American people, and ultimately, I think people will feel betrayed by having healthcare options taken away from them."
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Watch the full segment below, or by clicking this link.