Medicaid cuts stand to hit everyone (yes, even you). Here’s why

California is facing major Medicaid cuts. Per CalMatters, the state's Medi-Cal program could lose roughly thirty billion dollars annually due to federal policy changes and new work requirements. Two point two million Californians are expected to lose coverage by twenty thirty. Here's the ripple effect: hospitals can't refuse emergency patients, so when more people become uninsured, they absorb the cost. That forces them to cut services for everyone — laying off staff, shuttering emergency departments, or closing entirely. Uncompensated hospital care could jump from two billion to four billion dollars annually. The impact is already showing in Covered California, the state's insurance marketplace. One hundred forty thousand people have dropped coverage as premiums spiked. More will likely follow as costs rise: private insurance premiums could increase one to two percent, roughly five hundred dollars a year for the average family, plus new state taxes on health plans. The healthcare system is deeply interconnected — squeeze one part, and everyone pays.

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