‘The best healthcare is a job’: Senator John Thune sparks outrage as he shrugs off Medicaid cut concerns to push Trump’s megabill

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The CBO approximates 4.8 million will be kicked out of Medicaid.

The push to weaken Medicaid is at full force. During his campaigns, Trump assured voters that his incoming administration would not take away their medical coverage but recent developments suggest that was just another one of his famed alternative facts. Recently, Senate Majority Leader John Thune also weighed in on the matter, suggesting that if you ever need medical coverage — get a job.

Trump has been touting the “big beautiful bill” that he’s seemingly eyeing as his legacy. The bill has faced numerous criticisms, including from some of Trump’s closest allies. A portion of the criticism stems from the concern that it will balloon the national deficit in its attempt to cut taxes. However, the biggest concern right now is that when — or rather if — the bill becomes law, Medicaid will be fundamentally altered. One of the most controversial changes is the introduction of working hour requirements for U.S. citizens, reportedly aimed at cutting $880 billion from the program.

Republican Senator John Thune echoed similar sentiments while advocating for the bill, which he is fully intent on pushing through the House. According to Thune, “The best healthcare is a job.” That dismissive candor alone caused an uproar online. But users on X brought additional context to the conversation.

X user Melanie D’Arrigo pointed out that currently, 30% of American jobs offer no healthcare coverage at all. She also noted that 49% of employed Americans cannot afford healthcare without incurring debt. For Melanie, this is all just a ploy by the Trump administration to find new ways to make life even easier for the elite class. 

As for the Trump administration, they’ve simply resorted to obfuscating the facts. Trump himself told a reporter that there would be no interruptions to Medicaid. Meanwhile, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, claimed on CNN that no one would lose coverage as a result of the bill. That final claim was promptly refuted by Ohio Rep. Shontel Brown, who pointed out that in Ohio alone, 770,000 people would be removed from coverage if the bill passes.

The administration’s talking point is that the bill is designed to reduce waste and fraud. They’ve also alleged that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is not reliable, citing supposed past errors. But the CBO has long maintained a reputation for non-partisanship and has even refuted claims by high-level Democratic representatives who have made approximates that were as high as 14 million out of medicaid. Washington Post reports The CBO’s own projections estimate that 4.8 million people would lose coverage due to this new bill.

The bill is currently in the Senate, where even internal GOP deliberations are ongoing regarding the specific fiscal proposals. Now is the time to contact your representatives and make your views known, as the bill is still under debate. Once it passes, your entire life — and your access to medical care — could change overnight.

This marks a definitive crossroads in the nation’s healthcare policy. The bill doesn’t just raise questions about which numbers are acceptable — it forces the country to confront whether healthcare for Americans is a right or a privilege. And disturbingly, the entire debate seems to hinge on whether billionaires are in need of yet more relief.


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