People losing health insurance is an issue the next California governor will face : NPR
NPR Topics: Politics — 2026-08-23 07:50:00 — www.npr.org
Republican Congress, Backed by Trump, Slashes Medicaid and ACA Support, Triggering Surge in Uninsured
A sweeping rollback of health coverage is underway as the second Trump administration and a GOP-led Congress enact deep cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, reversing years of gains in the number of insured Americans. According to the latest analysis, these federal actions are expected to nearly double the number of uninsured Californians under 65 by 2030, with the uninsured population rising from 2.4 million to 4.6 million.
Trump’s Attributable Actions and Positions
The article details that the second Trump administration has responded to conservative criticism—claiming that recent health policies “inflated enrollment by attracting fraudulent and wasteful coverage”—by tightening enrollment windows and toughening income reporting requirements. This approach has been justified by Trump’s allies as necessary to “root out fraud and waste,” rather than focusing on the overall number of people insured.
Last summer, the GOP-led Congress passed what is described as “Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a legislative package Republicans say preserves Medicaid for those who need it most. However, the law is expected to cut Medicaid spending by over $900 billion in the next decade. Additionally, Congress allowed enhanced premium tax credits for ACA plans to expire, resulting in higher premiums for middle-income Americans and a drop in enrollment by nearly 3 million this year.
Impact on Californians
These federal cuts are already having a dramatic effect in California, which had previously achieved one of the nation’s largest reductions in its uninsured population through robust ACA adoption. State and hospital officials warn that as federal support shrinks, more Californians will lose coverage, hospitals will see more unpaid bills, and premiums will rise as risk pools become sicker and more expensive to cover.
California’s next governor will inherit a crisis, with experts predicting the state could lose up to $30 billion in annual federal funding for health coverage. Job losses in the healthcare sector could reach 200,000, and the state faces tough choices about whether to raise taxes or further roll back coverage.
Fact-Check and Conclusion
The Trump administration’s claims that tightening eligibility and cutting federal support will reduce fraud are disputed by health policy experts, who warn that these moves primarily reduce coverage for millions of Americans, including many who are eligible and in need. The rollback of ACA provisions and Medicaid funding stands in stark contrast to the historic high of 92% health insurance coverage reached under the Biden administration.
As California braces for a steep decline in health coverage, the Trump administration’s actions and the rhetoric used to justify them are under scrutiny for their real-world impact on families, hospitals, and the broader economy. The debate over what constitutes “waste” versus essential coverage remains central as the state and nation navigate the consequences of these federal policy shifts.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/23/nx-s1-5941143/california-governor-xavier-becerra-health-insurance