‘Big beautiful bill’ will end Medicaid for people in Kalamazoo, Holland, and Battle Creek this year. Here’s how many will lose it—and who’s responsible

The representative who voted to take away health care from nearly 15,000 Michiganders in his district is “looking forward” to announcing his reelection plans later this year. 

President Donald Trump’s Republican-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed into law on the Fourth of July. It cuts taxes for billionaires and the wealthiest people in the US, and is projected to create a $1.1 billion annual budget shortfall for the state, with an estimated 700,000 Medicaid beneficiaries losing coverage across the Mitten.

Local health officials warned that Medicaid cuts could overwhelm rural hospitals and disrupt care for seniors and low-income families. Despite these concerns, several Michigan Republicans, including Rep. Bill Huizenga, who represents Allegan, Van Buren, and parts of Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and Ottawa counties, voted to support the tax bill.

Huizenga’s decision to vote yes on the bill—which he said “will make everyday life more affordable”—will result in thousands of his constituents losing access to health care through Medicaid, and soaring premiums, deductibles, and co-pays for other Michiganders who aren’t on Medicaid. 

Related: Trump’s tax bill passed—How many Michiganders will lose Medicaid benefits?

How many people will lose Medicaid benefits in Southwest Michigan?

In Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, which includes Allegan, Van Buren, northern Berrien and Kalamazoo counties, and portions of Ottawa and Calhoun counties, 167,400 residents are enrolled in Medicaid—nearly 22% of the district’s population. They’re from Holland, Hudsonville, Allegan, South Haven, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, and other nearby towns.

Under Trump’s tax bill, which introduces strict work requirements and paperwork verification for Medicaid enrollees, many adults will be forced to prove they meet certain criteria every six months—particularly affecting low-income populations like the working class, seniors, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas. 

The work requirements target people whose working hours fluctuate from week to week, whose school schedules change from term to term, or who are newly out of work. They’ll especially impact employees working for small businesses, and in hospitality, retail, or gig work. 

They’ll also seriously affect older adults—who are less likely to be employed consistently and face more difficulties finding new work due to age discrimination—and family caregivers.

Michigan has experience with this. In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed similarly restrictive requirements into law. The state spent over $30 million implementing them, and the requirements lasted around two months before a federal judge blocked them, ruling them unlawful. 

Experts have found that many people who will lose Medicaid as a result of these latest cuts will do so because of administrative burdens, not ineligibility. 

At least 15,000 enrollees in District 4 are at risk

In Rep. Huizenga’s district, at least 15,000 Medicaid enrollees are at risk of losing coverage altogether, resulting in an estimated 47 extra deaths per year, according to the Center for American Progress. 

Additionally, the “big beautiful bill” formally ends a variety of federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a result, Michiganders who get their health care through the federal marketplace—like the 47,200 ACA adult residents in District 4—are set to see their premiums increase by over $700 a year, according to estimates released by state officials. 

Rep. Huizenga recently announced that he won’t run in the Michigan Senate race in 2026, which many speculate is so that a path can be cleared for former Rep. Mike Rogers—the Senate GOP’s preferred candidate—to take the position.

As far as running for reelection to the House, Rep. Huizenga said he “looks forward” to announcing his plans later this year.