'We’d lose everything': Red state voters fear devastation from megabill cuts

President Donald Trump and many of his loyalists are insisting that the draconian Medicaid cuts in his "big, beautiful bill" are strictly designed to combat "waste, fraud and abuse" and won't hurt Americans who genuinely need help paying for health care. But according to analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), roughly 16 million people would lose their health coverage and become uninsured by 2034 if the megabill, in its current form, becomes law.

Medicaid cuts would affect not only blue states, but also, red states that Trump won in 2024 — including Missouri, where he defeated Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by 18 percent.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny, in an article published June 26, takes a look at Medicaid users in red states who are worried about losing their access to health care.

One of them is 36-year-old Missouri resident Courtney Leader, who told CNN, "This is not a luxury. I do not have my daughter enrolled on Medicaid so we can have fancy things. I have my daughter enrolled in Medicaid so we can keep her alive and keep her at home, which I think is the best option for her."

Leader sent a letter to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), telling the MAGA Republican and Trump ally, "Without Medicaid, we would lose everything — our home, our vehicles and, eventually, our daughter."

In Missouri, Zeleny notes, "at least one in five residents depend on Medicaid for health coverage."

Leader told CNN, "I know that they’re saying they're not planning to cut Medicaid, right? But I reached out, concerned that if any changes are made, there will be this trickle-down effect that will impact families like mine."

Leader described her daughter Cyrina's health problems, telling CNN, "The formula that is delivered through a tube in her stomach costs more than my mortgage. It costs more than my entire food budget for our family and in that alone, there is no way that we could come up with that $1500 to be able to feed her…. Who's going to protect us when they can’t get paperwork done in time and we lose coverage for a month or two? I'm worried that the red tape is going to affect our Medicaid because of just the oversight burdens and that as a result, I’m going to lose my daughter, because she’s lost coverage before.”

Read the full CNN article at this link.