Mike Johnson Issues Medicaid Warning

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that able-bodied people who are able to work should not be using Medicaid but vowed that the health care program would not be cut.

“You don’t want able-bodied workers on a program that is intended, for example, for single mothers with two small children who is just trying to make it,” Johnson said in a memo earlier this year. “That is what Medicaid is for. Not for 29-year-old males sitting on their couches playing video games.

“We’re going to find those guys and we’re going to send them back to work. That’s what everybody supports, that’s what the Republicans are for.”

Why It Matters

The House this week voted 217-215 to adopt its budget proposal that calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts, some of which could potentially impact Medicaid and other key health care programs. The bill instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, to slash $880 billion in mandatory spending.

About 24 percent of people living in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid, according to an estimate from NYU Langone Health. As of October last year, more than 72 million people across the country had Medicaid coverage, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

What To Know

Johnson said in an interview with CNN following the bill’s success in the House: “We’re talking about finding efficiencies in every program but not cutting benefits for people who rightly deserve that.”

In all states, Medicaid gives health coverage to some individuals and families, including children, parents, people who are pregnant, elderly people with certain incomes, and people with disabilities—although income and other requirements can vary by state.

Johnson went on to talk about work requirements for accessing Medicaid that were floated in a wide-ranging spending breakdown published earlier this year.

It suggested introducing work requirements for Medicaid recipients. According to the memo, the approach aims to “restore the dignity of work” by requiring able-bodied adults without dependents to meet work requirements to qualify for Medicaid coverage.

Democratic lawmakers and left-aligned think tanks have said Johnson’s spending bill cuts Medicaid. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities said that “the magnitude” of the resolution “would force congressional committees to make enormous cuts in Medicaid, SNAP, student loan assistance and other vital sources of support.”

Prior to the bill being passed, Johnson said on Monday: “Look, everybody needs to understand that the resolution is merely the starting point for the process. So there’s nothing specific about Medicaid in the resolution. The legislation comes later, so this is the important first start.”

What People Are Saying

House Speaker Mike Johnson, on X, formerly Twitter: “Medicaid is for single mothers with small children who are just trying to make it. It’s not for 29-year-old males sitting on their couch playing video games. We’re going to find those guys, and we will SEND them back to work!”

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on X: “Republicans’ budget has a fundamental math problem. An $880 billion cut is an attack on Medicaid, not ‘waste,’ ‘fraud,’ and ‘abuse.'” Let’s be clear—anyone who votes for this budget is voting to cut Medicaid.”

Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “The Senate should reject the House cuts both now and if Congress ultimately moves ahead with a second budget plan and reconciliation bill this year.”

What Happens Next

The resolution now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to face substantial opposition from Democrats but could ultimately pass because of Republicans’ control of the chamber.