{"id":3793,"date":"2025-05-05T08:53:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3793"},"modified":"2025-05-05T08:53:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:53:41","slug":"medicaid-cuts-could-lead-to-thousands-of-deaths-and-financial-hardship-study-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3793","title":{"rendered":"Medicaid Cuts Could Lead to Thousands of Deaths and Financial Hardship, Study Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A new analysis published in&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(25)00761-5\"><em>The Lancet<\/em>&nbsp;<\/a>reveals that reducing access to Medicaid could result in thousands of additional deaths and severe financial strain for millions of Americans. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Boston University, and the University of Amsterdam predict that scaling back Medicaid coverage would disproportionately affect low-income and rural populations, with far-reaching consequences for public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study builds on previous research showing the benefits of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). By analyzing data from states that expanded Medicaid, the team estimated that cutting coverage for 15.5 million people could lead to 14,660 additional deaths annually among adults aged 25 to 64. This figure would rank as the seventh leading cause of death in that age group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Medicaid, a joint federal and state program, provides health insurance to vulnerable populations, including low-income families and individuals with disabilities. The researchers also found that reducing coverage could force over 600,000 Americans into catastrophic health expenditures, where out-of-pocket costs exceed 30% of their household income. Additionally, up to 8.7 million people might delay or avoid necessary medical care, worsening health outcomes and increasing long-term costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Brian P. Lee, a co-senior author of the study, emphasized the broader impact of Medicaid cuts: \u201cThe devastating effects of losing coverage extend beyond patients to their families and communities. Health care systems, especially in rural areas, rely on Medicaid funding, and cuts could lead to hospital closures, leaving entire communities without access to care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings underscore the critical role of Medicaid in safeguarding public health and financial stability. The researchers urge policymakers to consider the long-term consequences of reducing coverage, noting that preventive care and health insurance are cost-saving measures. As debates over Medicaid\u2019s future continue, the study highlights the potential human and economic toll of scaling back the program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new analysis published in&nbsp;The Lancet&nbsp;reveals that reducing access to Medicaid could result in thousands of additional deaths and severe financial strain for millions of Americans. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Boston University, and the University of Amsterdam predict that scaling back Medicaid coverage would disproportionately affect low-income and rural populations, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1123],"tags":[1588,1091],"class_list":["post-3793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-health","tag-medicaid-cuts","tag-public-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3794,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3793\/revisions\/3794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}