FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2025
TROY, MI — In response to the sweeping federal legislation titled ‘H.R.1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ passed by Congress on July 3, 2025, the Michigan Community Health Worker Alliance (MiCHWA) expresses grave concern and firm opposition. Promoted as a “big, beautiful bill” by President Donald Trump, the legislation introduces unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with dire consequences for the health and well-being of millions of Americans, especially low-income families, rural communities, and the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce that serves them.
Kareem J. Baig, Executive Director of MiCHWA, issued the following statement:
“This legislation is not a victory for the American people. It is a dismantling of decades of progress toward equitable health care access. By imposing work requirements and slashing Medicaid support, Congress is effectively pushing millions off the health coverage cliff and deepening the structural inequities our communities already face. These actions target those least able to navigate bureaucratic red tape, including but not limited to: parents, seniors, people with disabilities, people with low literacy and working-class families.”
The newly enacted law mandates federally imposed work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients, while simultaneously tightening eligibility and verification rules. According to Congressional Budget Office projections, more than 10 million Americans could become uninsured by 2034 due to these provisions, while hospitals and clinics, including federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), brace for an estimated $36 billion in unreimbursed care, threatening their ability to stay open and serve their communities. The American Hospital Association has already labeled the cuts “irreparable harm” to the health system. Closures will also result in lost jobs, in the hospitals, clinics and small businesses that serve them.
For Michigan, the risks are catastrophic:
- 2.6 million Michiganders are estimated to be impacted, with over 700,000 residents in the Healthy Michigan Plan facing coverage loss if federal match rates fall.
- Many of those losing Medicaid benefits are also likely to lose some or all of their SNAP and other benefits that are included in this legislation, such as housing, resulting in worsening physical and mental health, as well as housing and food insecurity.
- CHWs in every region will be negatively impacted, particularly in health systems, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), health departments, and community-based organizations (CBOs) where CHWs serve Medicaid-covered populations.
- Hospitals and clinics may close, making it harder for CHWs to connect residents to care and social services.
- CHW programs that rely on Medicaid reimbursement will lose critical funding, undermining workforce stability, recruitment, and retention.
Baig added:
“Community Health Workers are Michigan’s frontline defense against health inequities, and this bill directly threatens their ability to serve. As a state and nation, we should be strengthening Medicaid, not gutting it. We must protect the systems that safeguard public health, and we must reject legislation that abandons those most in need. The health of over 2.6 million Michiganders, and the future of a trusted, proven workforce of CHWs, hangs in the balance.”
MiCHWA calls on Michigan’s Congressional delegation, Governor Whitmer, state legislators, health leaders, and the public to 1) oppose this legislation and demand repeal or mitigation of its most harmful provisions, especially those impacting Medicaid eligibility and CHW reimbursement, 2) protect and expand Medicaid at the state level, including increased investment in CHW-led services and integration and 3) join us and our partners in mobilizing communities to defend Medicaid and support equitable policies that empower our most vulnerable neighbors.
###
