Medicaid is facing major cuts—will Medicare be next? Lawmakers are eyeing reforms, but experts warn of serious consequences.

New rules would restrict access to the low-income health insurance program, punish states covering undocumented children, and shift costs to states.

Experts at the University of California, Riverside, weigh in on what impact these cuts could have. Bruce Link is a distinguished professor of public policy and sociology; Richard Carpiano is a professor of public policy; and Sanya Dhama is a first-year medical student.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) arrived for a meeting with House Republicans in Washington on Wednesday morning. House Republicans pushed forward on their sweeping domestic policy bill in marathon sessions that stretched into Wednesday morning, pushing debate over Medicaid and tax cuts. HAITUN JIANG/NYT

Republicans are considering deep cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax cuts. Democrats say they should go after Medicare Advantage instead.

Here’s the bottom line: if you cut Medicaid, Medicare picks up the tab. And because Medicare does not share costs with states as Medicaid does, the full cost will be picked up by the federal ...

Democratic lawmakers are asking GOP leadership to reject Medicaid cuts in favor of going after Medicare Advantage “upcoding” as a way of saving federal dollars and addressing waste,

Lawmakers tussle over a federal budget bill that includes a Medicare rate increase for clinicians starting in 2026.