A Trump-backed bill, dubbed by the White House as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," is headed to the U.S. Senate after being approved in the House. It includes large cuts to Medicaid.
NPR reports the bill would cut hundreds of billions of dollars in spending on Medicaid. That would be done by adding a new work requirement and shortening the enrollment period, among other things.
The Medicaid changes are expected to result in contentious debate when the bill is taken up by the Senate.
The nonpartisan policy organization, the Missouri Budget Project, believes those changes could have significant implications for Missourians, especially in rural areas.
"We know from other states that have implemented these changes at the state level that a lot of people who were meeting the requirements, who should have been and were to the letter of the law, you know, meeting the requirements or otherwise exempt, still lost their health care, said Missouri Budget Project Spokesperson Traci Gleason.
She pointed to things like red tape, confusion about rules, lost paperwork and poor internet service as reasons for the loss of healthcare.
And she expects a big impact in rural Missouri where she said more people are likely to be covered by Medicaid than in urban areas.
She said she fears rural hospitals and healthcare providers could be forced to close their doors.
"That doesn't just affect those with Medicaid," said Gleason. "It affects everyone in that community that needs access to senior services, emergency care, maternity, etc."
The changes could make it harder for working Missourians to access the care they need, according to Gleason.
"It's going to impact everybody who needs and is trying to access or maintain Medicaid benefits," she said. "And that includes older Missourians, kids, individuals with disabilities. And so, you know, we'll see a lot of ripple effects from the bill."
The Trump administration claims the bill would eliminate what it calls "waste, fraud and abuse" and remove undocumented immigrants from the program.
