Medicaid spending will plummet 35 percent by 2036 under GOP health bill, new CBO analysis finds

Protesters against the GOP health care bill.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 29 June 2017

A new long-term assessment of Senate Republicans' health-care plan by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revealed cuts to Medicaid would grow even deeper beyond the 10-year mark. The first CBO analysis of the plan, released Monday, found that Medicaid spending would drop by 26 percent — about $772 billion — by 2026. The analysis released Thursday found that by 2036, Medicaid spending would be slashed by 35 percent, thanks to Republicans' plans to further restrict growth by introducing tougher limits in 2025.

The Washington Post noted that the latest CBO estimate "underscored the extent to which [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell's plan would squeeze the longstanding public insurance program," in which more than 70 million Americans are enrolled. President Trump has repeatedly promised not to cut Medicaid spending.