Eight community-based organizations jointly launched the “Empty Plate Protest” June 23 to highlight the impact of Senate budget cuts on food and medical safety nets.
The protest encourages supporters to fast for 24 hours for any one day. The protest will continue until Congress goes for recess July 4. “Each meal sacrificed represents 500 Americans who will either lose their life or go hungry, lose healthcare, and pay more for basic needs if these cuts are passed by the House and Senate,” wrote the coalition of organizations in their appeal.
‘Big Beautiful Bill’
The House May 22 narrowly passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill, stripping an estimated $715 billion from Medicaid, and $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Senate is expected to pass its version before recess July 4. The goal of budget reconciliation is to cut $1.5 trillion in spending, to support $4 trillion in tax cuts over the next 5 years, a promise President Donald Trump made on the campaign trail. Opponents of the cuts liken it to a reverse Robin Hood: taking safety nets from low-income people to benefit the wealthy.
Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA said at a press briefing June 23 that the Senate cuts to Medicaid are much steeper than those put forth by the House.
”Even with everything that’s going on in the world right now, the Senate is meeting today to ram this bill through,” said Wright. Sixteen million Americans are expected to lose health coverage if the measure known as the “big beautiful bill” is passed, he said, adding: “Millions will lose health care and millions will go hungry.”
New Work Requirements
Both the House and Senate versions of the bill would require people to verify every 6 months that they have worked for at least 80 hours per month to qualify for Medicaid, unless they are incapacitated. The bill also imposes work requirements on SNAP recipients with children over the age of 7, as well as people over the age of 54, in contrast to current law. A KFF study released earlier this year noted that almost 2/3 of Medicaid recipients do currently work.
The additional paperwork will mean people will simply fall off one or both programs, said Rhonda Rogombé, health and safety net policy analyst at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. “People who are eligible may simply fall by the wayside,” she said, noting the burdens of proving eligibility every 6 months, either via an employer or medical professional.
Rural Hospitals
The biggest blow will be to rural hospitals, said Richard Sutphin, executive director of the West Virginia Rural Health Association. He spoke about a hospital in his state that serves 7 counties. That hospital had over 38,000 visits in 2023, 3700 emergency room visits, 1200 ambulance runs and 8547 long-term care patients. Sutphin said this hospital, like many of the 700 rural hospitals around the country, faces closure or extreme scale-backs in services if the Medicaid budget is slashed.
Neither states nor philanthropy will be able to backfill the cuts, noted several speakers at the June 23 press conference.
Wright of Families USA said many hospitals are already on the brink, with negative net revenue. Families USA released a report June 23, detailing the impact of the proposed cuts to Medicaid on rural hospitals throughout the US. Should the bill go through, 380 rural hospitals would face serious risk of closure.
