Republicans are celebrating what Bernie Sanders calls the largest Medicaid cut in U.S. history. According to his statement, the bill will cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs, stripping health coverage from over 16 million Americans nationwide.

The billionaires are celebrating tonight.

Republicans just passed their reconciliation bill in the Senate by one vote and the very rich just got much richer.

Starting now, we must work overtime to make certain that these corporate controlled politicians are defeated in 2026. pic.twitter.com/76H1PVydXr

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 1, 2025

Sanders warns these cuts will hit rural hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers the hardest. In states like California, over 2.3 million people are projected to lose coverage. Florida could see nearly 2 million dropped, while Texas faces over 1.6 million losing their healthcare. For many, there are few other affordable options.

“This bill is a death sentence,” Sanders said, pointing to research showing deep Medicaid cuts increase preventable deaths. A widely cited 2017 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine estimated that each 455 people who lose Medicaid results in one additional death per year, aligning with Sanders’ claim of approximately 50,000 unnecessary deaths annually if 16 million are dropped. That’s because fewer people get preventive care, timely diagnoses, and treatment for chronic conditions before they become fatal.

Republicans are celebrating the passage of the largest Medicaid cut in U.S. history to pay for the largest tax break for billionaires in American history.

51,000 Americans will die each year so that the top 1% can get a $1 trillion tax break.

This bill is a death sentence.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 3, 2025

Supporters of the bill argue that tax cuts for the wealthy will stimulate investment and economic growth. Critics counter that shifting funds from essential health services to billionaire tax breaks will widen inequality without clear benefits for working families.