SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Tuesday, President Donald Trump met with House Republican leaders to try and push a massive budget package that is currently stalled in the House Budget Committee. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says he wants a vote on the bill by Thursday, ahead of the Memorial Day break.
“President Trump’s one big beautiful bill is gonna require one big beautiful vote, and this is our shot,” Johnson said Tuesday.
A West River tech will cost 911 panel $1.1 million
A focal point of the package has been cuts to the Medicaid program — which the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, or ACS CAN, is asking lawmakers to reject.
It’s been dubbed ‘The One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ and among the proposed budget cuts is Medicaid.
The package includes 715 billion dollars in reduced spending to the Medicaid program over the next ten years and new work requirements.
“ACS CAN is incredibly worried about this bill. Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and others say that up to 8.6 million Americans could lose access to health insurance through Medicaid and as many as seven million, seven and a half million, could become uninsured as a result of the bill,” Lucy Dagneau, Senior Director for State and Local Campaigns with ACS CAN, said.
ACS CAN says not having access to health insurance can lead to consequences for anyone, but especially current and potential cancer patients.
“When it comes to cancer, having health insurance is the difference between a stage one diagnosis or a stage three or four diagnosis,” Dagneau said. “And, of course, I think it’s common sense and we know from research being done by the American Cancer Society that health insurance is one of the greatest predictors of surviving cancer.”
“The alternative is private health insurance but people can not afford that and Medicaid is that safety net that people can use when they need it,” Carla Graciano Sarinana, the South Dakota grassroots manager for ACS CAN, said.
Graciano Sarinana says a drop in people being insured by Medicaid could also impact those who are privately insured.
“If we don’t have Medicaid, if these cuts go into effect, it’ll lead to higher premiums for us, higher out-of-pocket costs,” Graciano Sarinana said.
According to the South Dakota Department of Social Services, over 147 thousand people in the state are enrolled in Medicaid. For more statistics on Medicaid in South Dakota, click here.
During a meeting with press today, President Trump said the cuts to Medicaid are about finding waste, fraud or abuse. He also told reporters that voters would not lose health insurance coverage under this bill.
