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2025 The Commonwealth Fund Ranks Healthcare by State
Author: Paul Hoppe
Why the Biggest Medicaid Cuts Won’t Hit Until After the 2026 Elections
by Paul Hoppe – 7-21-2025
You might have heard about new Medicaid cuts that Congress recently passed. Medicaid is the program that helps low-income people and families get health care. But what many don’t realize is that the worst parts of these cuts are set to happen after the 2026 elections. And that’s no accident.
Here’s what’s going on in plain terms:
- Most of the serious changes—like people losing coverage because of new rules or states tightening who can qualify—won’t start until 2027 or later. That means before the 2026 elections, most folks won’t feel the full effects.
- Why? Because politicians, especially Republicans pushing the bill, want to avoid angry voters coming after them next year. If lots of people started losing health coverage or struggling to pay for care before the election, it could hurt their chances of staying in office.
- News outlets and experts have pointed out this strategy. One analyst said the “pain is postponed” so lawmakers don’t face backlash when people go to the polls.
- Unfortunately, this means millions could lose Medicaid coverage, and many will face more health problems—but that wave of harm is being delayed until after the election. So voters may not see how severe these cuts really are until it’s too late to vote them out based on this issue.
In short, the Medicaid cuts are designed so that the hardest parts won’t hurt politicians at the ballot box in 2026. But for the millions who rely on Medicaid, the struggle is coming soon—and that’s something everyone should be paying attention to.
Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare Journey to Whitesburg, KY
On Saturday, June 7 2025, My wife Phyllis and I, plus fellow group member from Richmond, Nancy Crewe, traveled to Whitesburg for the annual Seedtime Festival on The Cumberland (plateau). sponsored by nationally recognized Appalshop, the community film workshop. We were there to spread the word for the need to enact enhancedMedicare for All.
Our group actively seeks venues to do these outreach events, and welcomes invitations from communities and other interested groups to come do a presentation.
While there was a smaller turnout than we expected, we spoke with a number of people and all were very supportive of Medicare for All. We were delighted to speak with a medical student from Duke University who was not aware of SNaHP (Students for a National Health Program) and promised she would investigate if there was a chapter at Duke and if there wasn’t, would be interested in starting one. Also stopping by our booth was a student that attends Yale University. She was very interested hearing about our movement, asking quite a few questions, and vowing to “spread the word” when she returns to her home in Brooklyn, NYC and back on campus in the fall.
As we packed to leave, Tucker Leighty-Phillips, Publicity Manager for Appalshop, thanked us for coming and invited us back next year for their 40th Anniversary Seedtime Festival.
Cancelled due to weather – Flea Off Market Tabling Event, Sat., April 5
The Flea Off Market is a community showcase of artists, craftspersons, collectors, entrepreneurs, farmers, food trucks, musicians, and anybody who just wants to have a pop up “yard sale” with us. On April 5th the location will be at 1101 E. River Rd., Louisville, Ky 40206 – Waterfront Park. Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare will have a Booth to promote “Enhanced” Medicare for All that includes everyone, from pre-natal to end of life. Come visit us from 11am-6pm. If you would like to volunteer, Register Here
Corporate Vultures
Our organization works hard to get these corporate vultures out of our Healthcare. Please join Us, get involved, talk to others, write to your congressional representatives. The Peoples Will is the only way to make it happen.
Recent Report Ranks U.S. Healthcare Dead Last
In a recent Single Payer Radio program, Kay Tillow, Harriette Seiler, Hamza Jamal, Evan Hawthorn, and Paul Hoppe of Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare discuss the poor ranking of our healthcare in this country based on a Commonwealth Fund report comparing 10 industrialized nations.
Goal: Compare health system performance in 10 countries, including the United States, to glean insights for U.S. improvement.
Methods: Analysis of 70 health system performance measures in five areas: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and health outcomes.
Key Findings: The top three countries are Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, although differences in overall performance between most countries are relatively small. The only clear outlier is the U.S., where health system performance is dramatically lower.
Conclusion: The U.S. continues to be in a class by itself in the underperformance of its health care sector. While the other nine countries differ in the details of their systems and in their performance on domains, unlike the U.S., they all have found a way to meet their residents’ most basic health care needs, including universal coverage.
We Need Volunteers to Staff the Single Payer Healthcare Booth at Louisville Pride Festival!
Join Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare at the Louisville Pride Festival on Saturday, September 14th from 11 AM to 7 PM and help us advocate for a healthcare system that puts people first. A Special Thanks to The Louisville Workers Brigade for sharing their Booth.
As a volunteer, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Educate attendees about the benefits of single-payer healthcare.
- Gather signatures in support of our campaign.
- Network with like-minded individuals and organizations.
To volunteer, Complete our Form:
Or please contact:
- Harriette Seiler
- hm.seiler@gmail.com
Let’s make a difference together
Help us spread the Single Payer Word at WorldFest 24 on the Belvedere August 30-September 2
We need volunteers to hand out literature and talk to people about our movement to fix our broken healthcare system. We have confirmed that we have a booth on the Overlook at the Belvedere in a big tent with other informational groups. We would like to cover as much of the schedule as possible. Please click on the link to volunteer: https://kyhealthcare.org/event-registrations
Sign up for one or more shifts:
Sat., Aug. 31; 11am – 1pm, 1pm – 3pm, 3pm – 4:30pm, 4:30 – 6pm
Sun. Sep. 1; 11am – 1pm, 1pm – 3pm, 3pm – 4:30pm, 4:30 – 6pm
Your help is so appreciated.
The 22nd WorldFest on the Belvedere will take place this Labor Day Weekend starting Friday, August 30th through Monday, September 2nd, 2024. This incredible 4-day International Festival is the most diverse, inclusive and equitable event in the region featuring more than 70 musical acts across three stages, a “Global Village” representing more than 20 countries, a “Parade of Cultures”, over 40 food vendors, a children’s activity zone and more than 100 booths featuring crafts and merchandise from a variety of cultures.
Opioid Overdose Deaths in Kentucky Could Be Reduced Drastically By Changing State Laws
Kentucky Legislature Impedes Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment
I hosted a SinglePayer Radio program recently with Dr. Pat Murphy, nationally known pain management treatment and addiction specialist that prompted me to write this post. With Kentucky having the 7th highest drug overdose rate in the country, our state legislators have the power to relax the antiquated Buprenorphine (Suboxone) dispensing rules due to the monumental elimination of the federal X-waiver requirement for Physicians in January of 2023. Kentucky is one of only 7 states that have not done so and it seems there is little interest in doing so. Dr Murphy believes Gov Beshear, through his Executive Authority, could possibly reverse some of these barriers to this life changing and life saving treatment. If we send emails to our state representatives as well as Gov Beshear, we may be in a position to save the lives of many Kentuckians. <Click here if you need a template>
Spring is Here
March 23. It’s still cold 