“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes,” goes the well-known saying often attributed to Mark Twain. There is no better demonstration of this wisdom than today's falsehoods about Medicaid cuts that are reported, repeated, reposted and retweeted, even as the truth gets but a few eyeballs.

NBC News recently predicted, “Proposed Medicaid cuts could lead to thousands of deaths.” Other mainstream media claimed similar dire consequences while conflating loss of Medicaid coverage with loss of access to a physician’s services.

Yet it should be well-known by now that coverage does not equal care.

For optimal decision-making, physicians and patients need an accurate picture of reality, not ideologically driven disinformation and unscientific statements bruited by the media and government officials. False narratives and fake news cannot be left unchallenged, and that includes the dramatic claims that proposed cuts would “devastate our healthcare system.”

The Trump administration seeks to make three modifications in the current Medicaid program: cutting illegal immigrants from the program; reducing federal contributions to Medicaid; and adding work requirements for able-bodied adults.

On Feb. 19, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14218, "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders," which began a process of removing illegal residents from all forms of taxpayer-funded social, financial and medical (Medicaid) support. States like California and Oregon have made more than 1 million illegals eligible for Medicaid coverage, even though federal laws prohibits their enrollment.

The House version of the budget reconciliation bill cut 13 percent from the Medicaid budget over 10 years, $863 billion from an estimated $7 trillion outlay. Detractors assume the cuts will come from insurance coverage support, implying reduced care. But what about cutting non-clinical, regulatory spending?

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