CINCINNATI — Ohio leaders played a key role in President Donald Trump securing a major legislative victory when the U.S. Senate approved his sweeping tax and budget bill on Tuesday.
Both of Ohio's senators voted for the legislation, dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill," with Middletown native Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
The bill extends Trump's expiring 2017 income tax cuts and includes new tax cuts like "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime." It also includes additional funding for the Pentagon and immigration enforcement.
However, the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts used to partially offset the bill's spending has raised concerns among health care advocates.
Learn more about the bill and the concern it's caused regarding Medicaid in the video below:
"Medicaid is very important to Ohio," said John Corlett with the Center for Community Solutions.
Corlett is worried about the bill's impact on health care coverage for vulnerable Ohioans. While supporters maintain the legislation only targets fraud and waste in the Medicaid program, Corlett believes new requirements could create barriers to care.
"These added administrative hurdles will push people off coverage. Not because they're not working, because the paperwork deadlines are complex or they can't navigate the reporting system," Corlett said.
More than a quarter of Ohio's population receives health coverage through Medicaid.
In just three of Ohio's 88 counties, Medicaid provides health coverage to more than 362,135 people. When you look at Hamilton, Butler and Clermont counties, that's 27.4% of Hamilton County residents, 24.6% percent in Butler County and about 18.9% in Clermont County.
When asked if states could increase their Medicaid spending to offset federal cuts, Corlett expressed doubt.
"I don't think that it's a reality. There maybe could be some things around the margins. And unlike the federal government, states can't do that. We can't run deficits. We have to balance our budget," Corlett said.
