Act now to preserve this essential public good.

One of our nation’s most effective health programs faces potentially devastating funding cuts, and I urge all nurses to join me in calling on Congress to protect this vital resource. This essential public good I’m referring to is Medicaid.

The Congressional budget process seeks to reduce programmatic spending by $880 billion over 10 years. The full House passed its version of the bill in May 2025 with more than $620 billion in Medicaid cuts that would reduce enrollment by over 10 million. As this column was being published, the Senate was debating its version. Once finalized, lawmakers will reconcile the Senate and House versions.

If enacted, these cuts would dramatically affect every community in our country and negatively impact the health and well-being of nearly 80 million people—20% of our population. All 55 state and territorial governors have acknowledged the impact of the proposed cuts and called for flexibility in administering Medicaid as best meets their citizens’ needs.

Medicaid accounts for about half of spending on long-term care and approximately 19% of hospital revenue. More than 40% of pregnant women, along with 37% of children, and nearly two-thirds of nursing home residents have Medicaid coverage. Behind these datapoints real patients exist—in rural areas and major cities, people of all ages, disabled individuals who can’t work, and people who are employed but can’t afford private insurance.

Medicaid also has widespread public support. A KFF poll in March 2025 found that 77% of respondents have a very or somewhat favorable view of Medicaid (bit.ly/3SYC011).

Despite this goodwill, Medicaid remains an enticing target in a highly charged political environment committed to reducing the federal government’s footprint.

Why should this battle over Medicaid concern nurses?

In short, every nurse in our nation has a stake in Medicaid funding because cutbacks will affect us and our most vulnerable patients—some quite severely. The Code of Ethics for Nurses emphasizes our “obligation to speak against legislation and social policy that undermines health, equity, human flourishing, and the com­mon good.”

Many nurses have already shared moving stories through RN Action’s Medicaid Matters campaign (bit.ly/43FFY3S). One wrote that Medicaid “has literally been a lifeline for many who [otherwise] would likely go without any healthcare. The repercussions of gutting [it] are unimaginable. Patients deserve better, humans deserve better from us.” Another wrote about being covered by Medicaid as a young single mother, while others described how the program supported essential care for family members.

Medicaid cuts also could lead to nurses’ job losses or added workplace challenges brought on by other staffing reductions.

At the American Nurses Association Hill Day, members of the Congressional Nursing Caucus have advised attendees that personal stories enliven dry and sometimes abstract appeals. Let’s make this personal. I urge nurses in every Congressional district to lift their voices and describe to their representatives and the public what’s at stake in unraveling the safety net so tightly woven into the fabric of our healthcare system.
Imagine hospitals closed and unemployed nurses, patients with hours’-long drives for emergency care or perinatal support and without the life-sustaining medications and preventive care that forestall poor outcomes and more costly interventions downstream. This is not hyperbole; it’s real.

Now is the time to act. United in common cause, The Power of Nurses™ can build a groundswell of support into an unstoppable force for public good.

Jennifer Mensik Kennedy PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
President, American Nurses Association

American Nurse Journal. 2025; 20(7). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ072518