Washington D.C. – A new report released this week details how the Trump-GOP Big Ugly Bill’s $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to bankroll wasteful tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations are just beginning to decimate the U.S. health care system – from mass health worker layoffs to shuttering rural hospitals. Nationwide, more than 700 hospitals, maternity wards, nursing homes, and other critical providers are at serious risk of cutting services or shutting down altogether. And Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK-AL) have shown no regret for helping make these devastating health cuts a reality.
The grave consequences of the Big Ugly Bill will be felt for years to come, but some of the worst provisions are just beginning to take effect. Premiums and out-of-pocket costs will skyrocket in Alaska, and many will lose coverage altogether due to miles of red tape. Then, devastating cuts to Medicaid will begin to take effect, causing rural hospitals to shut down, seniors to be forced out of their nursing homes, and people fighting cancer or addiction to lose life-saving care. Taken together, these cuts will cause years of progress to be lost as the uninsured rate explodes to levels not seen in 15 years.
What Was It All For? With extra padding from the Trump-GOP tax scam, big corporations “may be on track to report the highest profits in more than 15 years” while they continue to price-gouge consumers. Inflation, driven in large part by corporate greed, is reportedly “ heating up again”, after “food, transport and housing saw some of the biggest price rises among common costs” in 2025.
“Senator Sullivan and Rep. Begich gave us the largest health care cuts in history, and all they have to show for it is a bunch of billionaires and greedy corporations laughing to the bank while they keep nickel and diming us,” said Brad Woodhouse, President of Save My Care. “Billionaires are hoarding their tax giveaway while cash-strapped medical centers, clinics, hospital and maternity wards, and long-term care facilities are all losing critical resources to serve patients in real need. The $1 trillion Trump-GOP health cuts will now force more hospitals and nursing homes to cut services or shut down, kill jobs, leave more local and state economies to suffer, and cut off access to care for whole rural communities. So how are Senator Sullivan and Rep. Begich going to fix the predictable and historic health crisis they ushered in, another tax break for the likes of Elon Musk?”
WHAT ALASKA MUST NOW BRACE FOR UNDER THE TRUMP-GOP BIG UGLY LAW:
- An estimated 39,989 Alaskans will lose Medicaid or ACA coverage and become uninsured under Trump and Republicans’ bill, including:
- 13,000 older Alaskans
- 100,000 children
- The 8% of adult Alaskans on Medicaid who are working
- 15,000 Alaskans with disabilities
- 91% of Alaska voters do not support cuts to Medicaid.
- Republicans created at least a $257.6 million hole in the Alaska state budget to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.
- Republican cuts to Medicaid will result in 3,000 state jobs lost alongside a $322.1 million loss in state economic output as well as a $525.9 million state GDP loss.
- Republicans cut $1.4 billion in critical funding for Alaska hospitals, leaving 5 hospitals statewide at risk of closure according to analysis from the University of North Carolina, and Families USA including:
- Providence Valdez Medical Center
- Providence Seward Medical & Care Center
- Kodiak Island Medical Center
- Cordova Community Medical Center
- Ketchikan Medical Center
When hospitals close, communities can lose a staggering number of jobs, both within and outside of the health care sector. The closure of one rural hospital can eliminate 220 jobs immediately.
- Republicans are also risking the closure of over a quarter of nursing homes, including 2 in Alaska, according to Brown University:
- Ketchikan Medical Center New Horizons Transitional Care
- Maple Springs of Palmer
- A 45 year old individual making $62,000 in Alaska will see coverage costs increase by $7,582 without extending premium tax credits.
- At the end of 2025, 730 jobs will be lost in Alaska due to the expiration of ACA tax credits.
###
