What happens when Congress slashes Medicaid? Ask a Michigan mom.

Republican lawmakers say they’re trimming the fat. But Michigan moms say Medicaid cuts could put their families at risk, close hospitals, and leave thousands without care.

MICHIGAN—Taylor Johnson didn’t speak at last month’s packed town hall in Warren because she wanted to be in the spotlight. She spoke out because she didn’t feel like she had a choice.

Standing before a crowd of more than 500 people—including union workers, veterans, fired federal employees, and fellow parents—Johnson told the room what it’s like to raise a six-year-old boy with Down syndrome in a country where Medicaid is on the chopping block.

“Medicaid is a necessary service. Medicaid protects the vulnerable people in our country,” she said. “Medicaid is a necessary thing for our community, and my family is terrified of losing it.”

Johnson’s son George—playful, music-loving, and always dancing—relies entirely on Medicaid to cover weekly speech therapy, multiple annual specialist visits, surgeries, and essential equipment like eyeglasses and orthopedic braces. Without the Medicaid program, the Johnson family would be left with staggering out-of-pocket costs they simply wouldn’t be able to afford.

“Medicaid means we haven’t had to worry about that piece of his life,” Johnson told The ‘Gander. “We have been able to solely focus on his development, his socializing, his community—things that make him happy. We’ve been able to sign him up for baseball.”

But with President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers eyeing cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for large corporations and the wealthy, that lifeline is now under threat. 

And Johnson isn’t staying quiet about it. 

“It’s really difficult to see Republicans put a price on humanity,” she said. “They’re looking at the numbers and they’re not seeing the humanity. They’re not seeing the lives that are genuinely at stake with these cuts. This ‘party of family values’ just doesn’t seem to care about my family.”

What’s Happening in Congress?

House Republicans are actively advancing legislation this year that would slash up to $880 billion in federal Medicaid funding, which would have devastating consequences for those Medicaid covers, including low-income families, seniors in nursing homes, and children with disabilities.

All seven Republican members of Michigan’s congressional delegation voted for the initial budget resolution authorizing the cuts, which must still be finalized and then pass in both the House and Senate.

The plan is part of a broader, Republican-led effort to fund about $4.5 trillion in new tax breaks, many of which would specifically benefit the wealthy and large corporations. And while Republican leaders insist Medicaid isn’t being directly targeted, experts say the proposed federal spending cuts are so deep that avoiding damage to the program is virtually impossible.

According to a new report released this week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the proposed cuts to Medicaid would gut health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders, as well as reduce access to health care providers for all residents.

Specifically, the report found:

• Over 700,000 Michiganders would lose their Medicaid coverage.
• Michigan hospitals and nursing homes would lose $1.1 billion in annual funding.
• Rural hospitals and other essential providers would be forced to close.
• Thousands of healthcare jobs in Michigan would be at risk of being eliminated. 
• A broader ripple effect could also raise costs for families with private insurance.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for the state-level report under an executive order last month. And she said the data confirms what families like Johnson’s have been saying for weeks.

“Medicaid provides a lifeline to 2.6 million Michiganders, and the huge, proposed cuts will terminate coverage for our neighbors, family, and friends who need it most,” Whitmer said in a statement announcing the state’s findings on Wednesday. “Michiganders will suffer because these proposed cuts go too far, too fast, and everyone, including those not on Medicaid, will end up paying more for their insurance. Republicans in Congress cannot let this happen.”

A Growing Chorus of Concern

Johnson’s message has been echoed by other Michigan mothers and healthcare workers who say the proposed cuts could unravel the state’s already strained health care infrastructure.

Marie Adkins, a registered nurse at Henry Ford Health and mother of a child with autism, said she sees firsthand how Medicaid supports the state’s most vulnerable patients—single parents, veterans, people with mental illness—and how quickly things could fall apart without it.

“It’s a snowball effect,” Adkins told The ‘Gander. “When people lose their access to care, they can’t stay healthy, they miss work, they can’t take care of their kids. Some people will die.”

Adkins isn’t on Medicaid herself, but she says the threat to the program is personal. Her son’s therapy bills already strain her family’s budget—even with a decent private insurance plan.

“ We just have to keep voicing out our concerns and hopefully something gets done because we just can’t stand by. That’s what I keep telling people,” Adkins said. “I feel like our sole purpose in this life is not only to provide a bright future for our kids, but also to help other people.”

The Michigan Democratic Party also hosted a roundtable discussion in Lansing on Tuesday, where elected officials met with local residents—like Susan Anderson of Okemos—to discuss the ways in which cuts to Medicaid would impact their families. Anderson shared how Medicaid has supported her husband after he was exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. 

“We were forced then to go to Medicaid. Thank God it was there,” she said.

Tyjuan Thirdgill, the organizing manager for Reproductive Freedom for All, also shared that he couldn’t afford to cover his nieces’ healthcare without assistance from the Medicaid program.

“My six-year-old niece who has ADHD and autism, we depend on Medicaid to pay for her therapy for her to be able to learn how to process all the emotions that she’s dealing with and knowing why she reacts differently than her older and younger sister [do],” Thirdgill said.

Who’s Pushing the Cuts?

In Michigan, Republican US Reps. John James, Tom Barrett, Jack Bergman, Bill Huizenga, Lisa McClain, John Moolenaar, and Tim Walberg all voted for the House budget resolution that would trigger the Medicaid cuts. Some of them, including Barrett and James, have faced backlash in recent weeks for skipping town halls and avoiding direct conversations with constituents.

Johnson said she’s tried contacting her representatives, but hasn’t heard back. But she does recall a moment when James, who is now running to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, stopped to pose for a photo with her son on the campaign trail last year.

“It was just a photo op for him,” she said. “They were taking pictures with the disabled kid. But if you say you care about all people, you can’t pick and choose which people you care about.”

What Comes Next?

The House Republican plan is still being hammered out, with caucus leadership struggling to thread the needle of satisfying both hardline conservatives who want massive cuts to Medicaid and moderates who are worried about major cuts. But Medicaid recipients, advocates, and providers are warning that the threat is real—and growing.

From Lansing to Detroit, more Michiganders are joining the fight to protect Medicaid. Rallies, roundtables, and grassroots campaigns are becoming more frequent. And with Whitmer’s report adding some new urgency to the debate, the pressure on Republican lawmakers is building.

“We just can’t stand by,” Adkins added. “If we have the opportunity and we have some time to voice our concerns and speak up against this, then we can’t sit idly by and do nothing.”

READ MORE: Michigan doctors underscore concerns on federal cuts to Medicaid

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