To the editor:
First and foremost, this shutdown is a rejection of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) and the fiscal 2026 budget that enriches billionaires while impoverishing millions of Americans.
Now a line in the sand has been drawn. The demand to negotiate an extension of tax credits for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act is primary. The loss of this tax credit will more than double the cost of premiums for those subsidized enrollees (24 million this year). And another 10 million folks may become uninsured due to cuts to Medicaid and new work requirements.
Key provisions of Obamacare have been quietly dismantled under this administration. According to Stephen Rattner in a recent New York Times article: “… more than 20 million Americans face higher insurance premiums next year. And almost 14 million Americans could lose their health insurance altogether over the next decade — an estimated 3.3 million in 2026 alone.”
But what other surprises are in the OBBBA that will increase poverty in America?
- Per the Center for American Progress: “The OBBBA will implement the largest cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history and add more red tape for people who are eligible. 3.5 million people across the United States will be at risk of losing some of their SNAP benefits as a result.”
- There will also be additional work requirements that will limit access to and duration of SNAP benefits. Many people who would still qualify will drop out of SNAP simply due to obstacles to enrollment.
- 27,000 grocery stores that serve large numbers of SNAP recipients are at risk of financial loss and instability.
- And states will take a major hit in funding Medicaid and SNAP, causing some to eliminate these benefits altogether.
To see the impact in Massachusetts (and any other state), check this assessment done by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
SNAP benefits for October should still be available, since those funds have already entered the system. However, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children known as WIC depends on the passage of a new budget, so its funds will dry up within days, cutting service off. This will impact almost 7 million people. The most recent estimate is they have about 10 days of funding left. This will cut off pregnant moms, newborns, and children up to age five from nutritious supplemental food, support for breastfeeding, and formula.
This shutdown, although painful, will hopefully stop some of the worst changes that would increase poverty. Much, much more needs to be reversed, but this is a start. Call your legislators at (202) 224-3121, and support their rejection of the OBBBA.
Leslye Heilig, M.D.
Great Barrington
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