The Republicans’ harmful megabill, signed into law this past summer, makes significant cuts to health care, nutrition assistance, and other programs that help families meet basic needs. The legislation includes some of the largest proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history.
These changes would reshape health care and nutrition assistance across Arizona. An estimated 420,000 residents could lose health coverage due to cuts and the expiration of enhanced ACA premium tax credits. Another 290,000 people are expected to lose Medicaid coverage. About 73,000 residents may lose all or part of their SNAP benefits. The bill would also shift costs to the state, with Arizona potentially responsible for up to $200 million per year in new SNAP expenses tied to federal cost-sharing requirements.
Steve Gomez, a 44-year-old father of three, is one of many Arizona residents for whom these changes mean uncertainty. He and his wife both work as independent contractors without employer-sponsored insurance, and do not qualify for government plans. Since 2020, the Affordable Care Act marketplace has been their only option for covering their family—including their middle child, Anthony, who requires ongoing care after receiving a heart transplant as an infant. Learn more about how these changes would affect the Gomez family.
“I am scared as to what my premiums are going to look like next year,” said Gomez. “We have to have health insurance in our house. If you have a child like Anthony, what is that going to look like?”
The bill’s provisions would affect working families like the Gomezes who rely on the ACA marketplace, Medicaid recipients who depend on stable coverage, and households that use SNAP benefits to meet basic needs. These policy changes would reach an estimated 710,000 Arizona residents losing health coverage and 73,000 losing nutrition assistance, affecting household budgets, access to medical care, and family stability across the state.
Put simply, the bill reduces health care and food assistance while providing tax breaks to higher-income households. Additionally, the House Republicans bills propose further cuts, including reductions to housing assistance funding that could affect families’ ability to maintain stable housing. We urge Members of Congress to protect the millions who rely on these essential services by extending enhanced premium tax credits to prevent over 20 million Americans with Affordable Care Act health plans from seeing their premium costs skyrocket and opposing funding bills that further cut basic needs programs.
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