How Funding and Eligibility Cuts to Medicaid Harm Response Efforts to Public Health Crises (Updated May 2023)

Executive Summary

Congressional Republican leadership is considering funding and eligibility cuts to Medicaid, such as work requirements, block grants, and per capita caps. Such proposals would impose new budgetary pressures on states and make it more difficult for individuals to access necessary health care programs and services. Because Medicaid is uniquely positioned to respond to public health crises, any cuts to Medicaid would constrain the ability of states to mount effective response efforts. Funding or eligibility cuts would likely force states to cut benefits, putting Medicaid beneficiaries at high risk of losing the necessary coverage and services to protect their health and wellbeing during public health crises. This issue brief explores Medicaid’s critical role in responding to the recent public health crises of COVID-19, Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), and Zika, and highlights how cuts to Medicaid harm beneficiaries impacted by such crises.

For a high-level overview, check out our companion Highlights fact sheet.