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Medicaid Cuts Threaten LGBTQ+ Americans' Access to Health Care

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Millions of Americans are expected to lose health care coverage due to President Donald Trump's tax and spending law, which includes extensive cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). LGBTQ+ Americans, already vulnerable to poverty and disability, are among those who will be most impacted. Experts warn that the loss of health care, coupled with rising discrimination and fewer workplace protections, will create a worst-case scenario for LGBTQ+ rights.

Key Takeaways:

  • The tax and spending law is expected to cut federal spending on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program by more than $1 trillion over the next decade, leading to 11.8 million Americans losing health care coverage.
  • LGBTQ+ adults are twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ adults to use Medicaid as their main insurance, and are more likely to experience food insecurity and rely on SNAP benefits.
  • Medicaid cuts will impact disabled LGBTQ+ adults, those with low incomes, and those raising children, particularly people of color, transgender adults, and cisgender lesbian and bisexual women.
  • The law attaches more documentation and a work requirement to Medicaid, making it difficult for low-income and disabled individuals to access coverage.
  • The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the work requirement will lead to disenrollment, with recipients struggling to navigate the bureaucracy and red tape.
  • Medicaid recipients will now have to file paperwork every six months to prove that they are working or volunteering, which may discourage disabled individuals from seeking coverage.
  • Experts warn that the law will disproportionately harm vulnerable populations, including transgender communities, due to a lack of health care access and rising costs.
  • States may have to shrink their Medicaid programs if they cannot afford to run them under the new law, exacerbating the coverage losses.
  • Hospitals in some states, such as Pennsylvania, are expected to lose billions of dollars due to Medicaid cuts, threatening access to crucial health care services.

Statistics:

  • 11.8 million Americans are expected to lose health care coverage over the next decade due to the law's Medicaid cuts.
  • 1.8 million LGBTQ+ adults use Medicaid as their primary health insurance.
  • The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the work requirement will lead to disenrollment.
  • 3-5 million LGBTQ+ people in the United States have disabilities, including 2 in 5 transgender adults.
  • States may lose $4.5 billion per year due to Medicaid cuts in Pennsylvania.

Sources:

  • 19th News - "Medicaid LGBTQ+ health care Trump law" (https://19thnews.org/2025/07/medicaid-lgbtq-health-care-trump-law)
  • Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law - "Medicaid and LGBTQ+ adults" (https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/medicaid-lgbt/)
  • Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law - "LGBTQ+ adults and food insecurity" (https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/lgbt-food-insecurity-snap/)
  • Kaiser Family Foundation - "Medicaid coverage for people with HIV" (https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-coverage-for-people-with-hiv/)

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