Republicans defend their plan for Medicaid, call Dem attacks ‘scare tactics’

Even before the fight over Medicaid subsidies led to a month-and-a-half government shutdown, Democrats were already attacking Republicans over their reforms to the federal health insurance program, which has expanded over many years.

Democrats say the cuts approved by the Republican Party were implemented to give tax breaks to the wealthy, and to work to raise people’s insurance premiums and keep them off their coverage. But Republicans, free-market health policy experts and disability advocates say these are “scare tactics” used to deceive the public about what Republicans are really trying to do for Medicaid.

According to conservative health policy experts who spoke to Fox News Digital, the Republican changes did nothing to harm those for whom Medicaid was originally intended — people who are not expected to be in the labor market, such as individuals with disabilities, pregnant women, children and the elderly. They argue in Medicaid reforms Trump’s tax cuts have improved the federal health care program for those it is supposed to serve.

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A protester carrying a sign to protect Medicaid lights up the Capitol building amid this year’s budget standoff in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Lee Vogel/Getty Images for Intergenerational Care)

“The tax cuts for working families have increased oversight efforts as part of a larger package of Medicaid integrity measures to more accurately serve the traditional Medicaid and Medicaid expansion populations,” said Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who serves as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce. “Progressive Democrats and their allies in Congress are desperate as they try to criticize tax cuts for working families as devastating to the traditional Medicaid population, which is not true! The traditional Medicaid population, which includes pregnant mothers, low-income seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities, will not be affected by our bill!”

The stricter eligibility requirements — which experts who support the GOP’s approach told Fox News would ensure Medicaid money goes to those for whom it was intended — are among the Republican reforms that have drawn the ire of Democrats. Enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program will reach more than 82 million in 2024, compared to 42.1 million in 2005.

Protesters place a coffin outside the office of U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, as part of a mock funeral to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid on June 23, 2025 in Davenport, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images for MoveOn)

Democrats are also troubled by provisions affecting how states are assured to be reimbursed Health care coverage Through the federal government. Republicans claim that Democratic states, such as California, have been using funding loopholes so that federal dollars can help pay for the inflated costs of health insurance coverage for non-American citizens.

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The recent fight leading up to the latest government shutdown centered on enhanced Medicaid subsidies enacted under President Joe Biden during the coronavirus pandemic, which his administration touted as a way to cushion health care costs during those economic pressures. Since February, Democrats have targeted vulnerable Republicans on the issue through ad buys and messaging campaigns. One group, Protect Our Care, reportedly spent $1 million on billboards and television ads titled “Hands Off Medicaid.”

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., listens during a House Rules Committee meeting on the Big Beautiful Bill Act at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase says these changes serve to “properly refocus” Medicaid, not destroy it.

“It requires able-bodied, working-age adults to work, go to school, or volunteer to receive benefits,” Blase said. “It also cracks down on corporate welfare schemes that funnel billions of dollars to wealthy, politically connected insurance companies and hospitals.” “It reduces waste, fraud and abuse that divert resources from those who really need them.”

Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Brett Guthrie, Republican of Kentucky He said bluntly that “traditional Medicaid members will not lose coverage because of this law,” while criticizing “the left-wing media” for perpetuating attacks on Republicans.

“Republicans have repeatedly fought to strengthen, sustain and secure Medicaid for our most vulnerable Americans — pregnant mothers, children, low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities,” Guthrie said. “Republicans are enabling Medicaid to serve its intended purpose, and we will continue to fight for solutions that protect the program for generations to come.”

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Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., speaks during the House Republican Conference news conference at the U.S. Capitol. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Dean Clancy, a health policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity, praised Republicans for sticking to their guns in the face of Democrats’ “exaggerated claims and hysterical scare tactics aimed at preventing any change in Medicaid.”

Another angle of attack by Democrats is claims that Republican reforms would negatively impact people with disabilities. The fear is that increased eligibility requirements will be a significant barrier for people with disabilities who may struggle with such tasks. They also fear that changing the funding framework for states will lead them to reduce benefits or eligibility or limit services for this population.

But Rachel Barkley, director of the National Center’s Able Americans Program, which promotes free-market policy reforms for people with disabilities, said she is confident that Republicans’ Medicaid reforms will “directly improve” the lives of people with disabilities.

A protester in Washington, D.C., holds a sign speaking out against Republican reforms to the federal health insurance program. (Photo by Lee Vogel/Getty Images for Intergenerational Care)

Among the reforms Barkley praised was the implementation of the Helping Communities with Better Support (HCBS) Act, which she said “expands access to Medicaid home and community-based services for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers,” while simultaneously increasing transparency and accountability for those waiting for care.

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Barkley also highlighted new tax provisions passed by Republicans that she said will enhance financial security for people with disabilities.

But more importantly, Barclay added, Republican Party reforms — like new work requirements — work to ensure people with disabilities are given the priority they deserve under the Medicaid program.

Meanwhile, Clancy noted that he and staff at Americans for Prosperity, a D.C. think tank that promotes free-market solutions to problems, were big fans of the “personal choice” that he says Republicans’ Medicaid reforms have advanced.

Clancy has described “personal choice” as “a set of sensible, principled reforms that make American health care better, more affordable, and more accessible for everyone — without government takeover.” This approach gives Medicaid enrollees more control over how their services are provided rather than leaving those decisions to the government, he said.