WASHINGTON, DC - During the National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit in Boston, state lawmakers from both parties shared their concerns over budget cuts in Donald Trump’s signature tax law that will force states to reduce important public services:

• Lawmakers across the nation agree: States will suffer under Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill (AZ Capitol Times, Aug 15)

• State leaders brace for ‘heavy lift’ from Medicaid, food stamp changes (Stateline, Aug 14)

On top of state lawmakers' very public comments, reporting and posts on social media about the impacts and anxieties of Donald Trump’s reconciliation law are everywhere you look.

The more people learn about this law, as polling shows, the more they oppose it.

Here’s a round up of some of the coverage nationally and in the states:

NATIONAL

Experts: Medicaid, SNAP Cuts Could Hurt Economy, Strain State Budgets (US News, Aug 11)

The hidden costs of cutting Medicaid (PlanetMoney, NPR, Aug 12)

Pregnant people in rural parts of the country are running out of places to give birth (19th News, Aug 5)

Some doctors worry that massive cuts to Medicaid will leave pregnant people needing to drive hundreds of miles for prenatal care and delivery services.

Hospitals prepare for $149B cut to Medicaid state-directed payments (Health Care Dive, Aug 12): New limits to the program could force hospitals to slash capital spending while bracing for millions of newly uninsured patients.

I rely on Medicaid to live. Trump's cuts make survival a privilege instead of a right. (USAToday Opinion, Aug 12)

Trump’s Tax Law Clobbers State Budgets. Now’s the Time to Prepare (Other Words Op-Ed by

Amy Hanauer, Aug 13): Federal funds provided more than one of every three dollars that states spent last year — and much more in places like Mississippi, Indiana, and South Dakota. In Louisiana, federal aid delivers fully half of state spending. But we’re likely to see layoffs of federal employees in every state — and potentially of state and local employees whose paychecks rely on federal dollars, too. For families, it means less access to the basics.

Trump’s megabill may force your local grocery store to close (CNN, July 28)

Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ bill will cut $186 billion from SNAP through 2035—how states might handle the changes(CNBC, Aug 8)

ILLINOIS

Illinois SNAP Education program eliminated amid federal cuts: ‘It’s heartbreaking’ (Chicago Tribune, Aug 18)

NORTH CAROLINA

As Medicaid cuts loom, North Carolina shows the stakes (The Washington Post, Aug 17)

Roughly 650,000 people here have signed up for Medicaid since the legislature expanded it 18 months ago — the culmination of a years-long effort in this politically split state. But now they are in danger of losing it under provisions in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Medicaid rate cuts will cost state providers $1.1 billion, NCDHHS says (NC Newsline, Aug 15)

Health and Human Services officials warn many could lose access to health care. Top legislators doubt rate cuts are needed, but offer no increase in funding.

Medicaid cuts to begin soon in NC, including ending coverage of weight loss drugs (The News and Observer, Aug 14)

SNAP cuts could leave NC students without free or cheaper school meals (17 News, Aug 15)

NEW YORK

New Yorkers Demand Emergency Session as Millions Face Health Insurance Loss from "Federal Budget Scam"(Invest in Our New York, Aug 13)

The coalition is calling for lawmakers to immediately mitigate the funding cuts by taxing the wealthy… Anything less will devastate communities across the state.

Rural New York’s healthcare staffing crisis deepens amid Medicaid funding battle (News 10, Aug 11)

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released an audit on August 7 on healthcare staffing shortages in 16 rural counties across New York. The report found the state lacking in primary care doctors, pediatricians, OB-GYNs, dentists, and mental health professionals.

Legionnaires’ outbreak in Harlem exposes grim future risks for NYC as steep Medicaid cuts loom (AM New York)

Health policy experts and local providers warn that Upper Manhattan could be among the hardest-hit areas in New York State if sweeping federal Medicaid cuts move forward — seriously straining the city’s ability to respond to public health crises like the recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem.

The Medicaid fallout in CNY: Worse ER waits, staff cuts and scaled back services over time (Syracuse.com, July 29)

New work requirements are expected to leave more than 30,000 Central New Yorkers without insurance in the next two years. That includes more than 14,500 former Medicaid patients at Syracuse’s three hospitals, according to state and syracuse.com projections.

PENNSYLVANIA

State leaders in Pennsylvania and elsewhere brace for ‘heavy lift’ from Medicaid, food stamp changes(Pennsylvania Capital Star, Aug 14)

Rural health systems at risk of closing, cutting services after Medicaid cuts (Farm & Dairy, Aug 13)

Medicaid is more than just healthcare coverage; it keeps “fragile” rural health systems afloat, according to Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health. But now, thousands of people across Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia could lose coverage after the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” H.R. 1, was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4.

Rural hospitals brace for Medicaid cuts (City and State PA, July 28)

State healthcare experts fear what the fallout from the One Big Beautiful Bill will mean for Pennsylvania’s smaller hospitals – and the insurance coverage that keeps them running.

Health care experts: Medicaid cuts threaten Pennsylvania's nursing home industry (TribLive, July 21)

COLORADO

Colorado health officials unveil plan to soften impact of federal cuts to Medicaid (The Denver Gazette, Aug 17)

Ultimately, a big part of that strategy is to reduce the demand for Medicaid in the long term, officials said. Signed into law on July 4, H.R. 1 makes significant overhauls of the Medicaid program since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Key changes include new work requirements for able-bodied enrollees ages 19-64, more frequent eligibility redeterminations and freezes provider tax programs and bars any new taxes.

Medicaid Cuts Could Have Vast Ripple Effects in This Rural Colorado Community (Colorado Public Radio, Aug 13)

Envisioning a future with deep Medicaid cutbacks leaves many patients on edge. Across the state, Medicaid covers 1 in 5 Coloradans, more than a million people. That includes children in foster care.

OHIO

Ohio ER docs warn of more ‘patient boarding.’ A study says it’s already getting worse (News 10, August 10)

As they try to anticipate the loss of billions to the Ohio health care system, emergency doctors warned last month that it would make patient boarding a lot worse. That’s when people have to lie for hours in the emergency department, waiting for a bed to open up in the appropriate department of the hospital.

Trump Medicaid cuts could cost kids coverage that aids learning (Ohio Capitol Journal, Aug 15)

Medicaid also covers such school-related items as eyeglasses, hearing aids, and microphones for teachers to use to communicate with children with hearing difficulties. Other devices and care, such as inhalers for asthma and dental coverage provided by Medicaid help make sure kids don’t miss school and add to the chronic absenteeism problems hurting kids academically.

Economists believe Medicaid cuts will impact Ohio’s economy (The Center Square, Aug 6)

Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill puts Ohio Valley hospitals at risk of closure (WTRF, July 23)

A recent report has identified 11 rural hospitals in Ohio, including East Liverpool City Hospital and Harrison Community Hospital, as being at risk of closure or service reduction due to Medicaid funding cuts tied to the federal tax and spending law passed under President Donald Trump.

ARIZONA

Trump’s Medicaid cuts will hurt every Arizonan, not just those who lose coverage (AZ Mirror, Aug 14)

Health leaders warn of longer wait times, crowded ERs and higher premiums as 300,000 are poised to lose insurance.

Arizona health experts highlight how Medicaid cuts could impact people in and out of program (KJZZ, Aug 14)

She voted for Trump in 2016. Now, his threat of hospital closures puts her & her grandkids at risk (Copper Courier, Aug 8)

Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center is one of five Arizona hospitals that are at risk of closing now that Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has become law.

“I was born in that hospital,” Jones said, adding that Cobre Valley has been a part of her life as she grew up, as her daughter grew up, and as her grandchildren are growing up.

Republican health care cuts will devastate working Arizona families like mine (AZ Mirror, July 21)

MISSOURI:

Visa delays, hospital closures and the abandonment of rural Missouri (Missouri Independent, Aug 15)

Across rural Missouri, the health care crisis is no longer slow moving. It is here.

How Medicaid cuts will impact Missouri's 67 rural hospitals (KY3 News, Aug 14)

Rural hospitals in Missouri struggle to turn a profit. Medicaid cuts could force closures (Kansas City Star, Aug 13)

'We need a hospital': Reductions in Medicaid spending could impact rural hospitals in Missouri (KSHB, Aug 12)

Some Missouri leaders are preparing for reductions in Medicaid spending, saying Tuesday that rural hospitals in small towns like Sweet Springs could face the most severe impacts. This comes after H.R.1, signed into law as President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is set to reduce federal Medicaid spending by around $911 billion over the next 10 years.

KENTUCKY:

Kentucky food pantry braces for SNAP cuts (Spectrum News 1, Aug 18)

According to the USDA, in 2024, nearly 600,000 Kentuckians participated in SNAP. But for now, only time will reveal just how many Kentuckians will have lost access to those benefits.

MAINE:

Maine clinics fight to restore Medicaid funds after Trump’s cuts to abortion providers (AP, Aug 14)

President Donald Trump’s policy and tax bill, known as the “ big beautiful bill,” blocked Medicaid money from flowing to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The parameters in the bill also stopped funding from reaching Maine Family Planning, a much smaller provider that offers health care services in one of the poorest and most rural states in the Northeast.

Medicaid cuts threaten services for people with disabilities in Maine (WGME, Aug 14)

Health insurance rates in Maine set to skyrocket (The Maine Monitor, Aug 1)

With more enrollment restrictions or rate increases, healthier people are the most likely to leave the marketplace, Carey said. That means the remaining people in the insurance pool are sicker, which then increases the premiums for everyone.

Northern Light Health bracing for impact of Medicaid cuts due to Big Beautiful Bill (WABI 5, July 25)

Hospitals in Maine are preparing for the changes to Medicaid outlined in the “big, beautiful bill.”

“If costs increase, we inevitably will have to reduce something,” Paul Bolin, executive vice president of Northern Light Health, said. “We don’t yet know exactly how much that impact will be. And that’s really, right now, what the uncertainty is with, with this legislation.”

Maine hospitals face $66M annual loss from Medicaid cuts, study says (Maine Biz, July 24)

MISSISSIPPI

Study: Health cuts in 'Big, Beautiful Bill' could put 11 MS nursing homes 'at-risk' of closing (Clarion Ledger, Aug 8)

Eleven Mississippi nursing homes were listed as "at risk" of closing if cuts laid out in President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill happen… Eight rural hospitals in Mississippi were also considered at risk of closing if large cuts are made to Medicaid in a separate report.

Health care in Mississippi could get even worse with new federal law (Mississippi Today, July 28)

Most public health policy experts…agree that the percentage of people without health insurance will dramatically increase thanks to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill touted by President Donald Trump. But that news is especially disheartening for many in Mississippi, which has the nation’s highest percentage of unhealthy people. With fewer people receiving health care coverage through the marketplace and with no Medicaid expansion, those numbers most likely will only get worse in Mississippi.

NEW MEXICO:

Medicaid cuts leave people in New Mexico on edge (KOB Channel 4, Aug 11)

In One of the Country’s Poorest States, Crippling Budget Cuts Loom (The New York Times, Aug. 6)

The state estimates that it will lose $2.8 billion annually in Medicaid funding, and as much as $352 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps low-income families buy groceries. Six to eight rural hospitals could close within the next 24 months.

“You couldn’t design a budget-reconciliation package that would be worse for the state of New Mexico,” Senator Martin Heinrich said at a health care forum.

New Mexico senators demand transparency on rural health fund as hospital closures loom (Santa Fe Reporter, July 29)

New Mexico’s senators are demanding answers about how a $50 billion federal fund will be distributed to rural hospitals, as up to eight facilities in the state could close within 18 months due to sweeping cuts to healthcare programs.

TENNESSEE:

Still Playing; Still Sinking: This Rural Tennessee Healthcare Provider Feels Like the Titanic Orchestra Amid Medicaid Cuts (Nashville Banner, Aug 12)

LOUSIANA:

How one safety net health system is preparing for Medicaid cuts (Healthcare Finance, Aug 13)

Anthony Cunningham is chief revenue officer of LCMC Health, a safety-net nonprofit hospital system based in New Orleans that depends on Medicaid for about a quarter of its annual charges... Bad debt for the health system is currently running at about 4%. “We’re thinking it might double,” Cunningham said. Higher uncompensated care would cost millions of dollars a year in revenue.The effect is the risk of drawing the $3.5 billion, eight-hospital nonprofit system from positive into negative margins.

Federal SNAP cuts put free school meals at risk (Louisiana Illuminator, Aug 12)

NEBRASKA:

Autism services expand west of Omaha to address resource gap and Medicaid cuts (Nebraska Public Media, Aug 15)

Nebraskans on Medicaid recently faced a rate cut for the autism services including applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy. On top of that, the state lacks access to the clinics that provide these services, especially areas outside of the state’s largest cities. The new rates decrease ABA services by as much as 48%. One mother of a son with autism said the cut is devastating for families like hers.

MONTANA:

Small hospitals facing difficult decisions, painful conversations with Medicaid changes (News from the States, Aug 14)

“We’re hanging on by the skin of our teeth as it stands, and how much more can we afford for the patients who have no insurance coverage?” Gatrell asked.

WISCONSIN

35 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act, Trump must not take us back (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 7)

Already in the red, rural hospitals across the Midwest brace for Medicaid changes (Wisconsin Public Radio, July 29)

Report shows three rural hospitals in Wisconsin are at risk of closure, reducing services (Spectrum 1 News, July 29)

CALIFORNIA

As Medicaid Cuts Loom, California Health Clinics Face Uncertain Future (KQED, Aug 13)

How the “One Big Beautiful Bill” will cut Merced County health and social service programs (The Merced Focus, Aug 15)

‘Very devastating for everyone.’ More than half of Fresno County faces looming healthcare cuts (Fresnoland, Aug 14)

With about 52% of Fresno’s residents relying on Medi-Cal, upcoming changes could affect access to care.

OREGON

Bynum warns Medicaid cuts could shutter rural Oregon hospitals at Madras town hall (Central Oregon Daily, Aug 14)

Oregon faces $15 billion funding loss from Medicaid, SNAP due to Trump budget cuts (KTVL, Aug 12)

Huge Federal Cuts Loom for Oregon Health Plan, SNAP and More, State Says (Willamette Week, Aug 11)

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