Health Care

How Trump’s second term could change Medicaid

Looking to Trump’s first term for clues about the second.
Dr. Laurie Margolies demonstrates the Koios DS Smart Ultrasound software, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at Mount Sinai hospital in New York. The breast imaging AI is used to get a second opinion on mammography ultrasounds. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Republican control in Washington under a second Trump administration could bring big changes to state Medicaid programs through budget cuts and priorities shifting with the political winds. 

President-elect Trump said little about Medicaid – or health care in general – during his campaign, leaving policy experts combing through his first term and the positions of potential allies and appointees for clues about his future approach to the joint federal-state program.

While Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, the conservative policy roadmap authored by the Heritage Foundation, many of its recommendations overlap with the Republican Party’s adopted platform, U.S. House Republicans’ 2025 budget and a budget proposed by the conservative Republican Study Committee. 

Stay informed
Subscribe to keep reading.

Sign up today to get the latest state new at your fingertips and in your inbox.