in Elections

Map: Where Medicaid Enrollment in the U.S. Is the Highest

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[–><!–>In eastern Louisiana, where Representative Julia Letlow, a Republican, was elected in 2024 by a wide margin, about one-third of the population is enrolled in the program.–><!–>

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[–><!–>And in California’s Central Valley, Republicans control a district where two-thirds of the population is on Medicaid, one of the highest rates in the nation, according to an analysis of federal enrollment data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.–><!–>

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[–><!–>Some of those places could bear the brunt of steep Medicaid cuts that are expected to be central to Republicans’ budget plans. The budget passed on Tuesday night by House Republicans directs Energy and Commerce, the committee that oversees Medicaid, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade, which would amount to an 11 percent reduction in the program’s planned spending.–><!–>

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[–><!–>In its 60 years, Medicaid has swelled from a small program that provided medical care to poor Americans receiving cash assistance to the largest source of public insurance. It covers 72 million Americans, about one-fifth of the population. It pays for about half of all nursing care in the United States, and 40 percent of all births.–><!–>

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[–><!–>Republicans have not yet specified what policy changes they would make to Medicaid. Options discussed include requiring enrollees to be employed, or dialing down funding for the Affordable Care Act’s expansion, which made millions of adults eligible for coverage. A work requirement would be expected to cut Medicaid spending by about $100 billion over the next decade, as those unable to comply — or to file the correct paperwork showing their employment — would lose coverage.–><!–>

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