What happens when we lose healthcare coverage

June 2, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2018, Arkansas became the first state to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients. Within six months, 18,000 people lost coverage. The overwhelming majority of them were still eligible for the program. They simply could not navigate the paperwork. Those requirements were eventually overturned by a court, but now they are coming back, not just in Arkansas but across the country. This time, the scale is far larger. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a suite of new federal rules will cause about seven and a half million people to lose their health insurance. As Marketplace reporter Samantha Fields explains, this is the biggest rollback in federal support for health care ever, and there is historical evidence for what happens next.

The scale of the coming cuts

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What you'll learn

1 (01:10) **Episode Introduction** - Kai Ryssdal introduces the show and the day's topics, including wages, consumer spending, and inflation measures.
2 (04:33) **Consumer Spending and Trade-offs** - Christian Schwab reports on how consumers are adjusting their spending habits amid economic uncertainty.
3 (07:41) **Inflation Measures and the Fed** - A look at the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, the PCE price index, and alternative measures like trimmed means.
4 (10:38) **Medicaid Cuts and Work Requirements** - Introduction to the main story: new Medicaid work requirements and funding cuts are phasing in, with historical parallels.
5 (11:32) **The Arkansas Precedent** - Camille Richou (Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families) describes the 2018 Arkansas work requirements, where 18,000 people lost coverage, mostly for paperwork reasons.
6 (12:29) **Scope of the New Cuts** - Larry Levitt (KFF) outlines the upcoming federal Medicaid cuts, totaling nearly a trillion dollars over several years.
7 (13:50) **Historical Evidence from Past Cuts** - Dr. Adam Gaffney's research on previous Medicaid cuts shows consistent negative outcomes.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Samantha Fields

Show Notes

Massive Medicaid cuts, including new work requirements, are rolling out across the country. Trouble filing paperwork will be one reason qualifying Americans lose their coverage. In this episode, what history tells us about cutting Medicaid funding. Plus: Personal incomes are falling, consumers are prioritizing value over luxury, and we explain incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s preferred inflation measure.

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