The Census Bureau released the 2024 data on health coverage, poverty and income. This release will be a snap shot, the “before” picture to compare to after the coming cuts and changes take effect. Check out the data for yourself: www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...

State leaders are battening down the hatches to prepare for the storm that is about to hit our health system, namely major cuts to Medicaid. This is a helpful resource to understand where this storm will hit the hardest. Spread the word! 🔁

The reconciliation bill cuts will strip millions of their Medicaid coverage and drain $58B to $137B from rural hospitals over the next decade. A temporary $10B a year for 5 years is nowhere near enough to prevent devastating losses for patients and communities. apnews.com/article/rura...

Thanks @jenniferngandu.bsky.social! What gives me hope is @commhsp.bsky.social's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table. commhsp.org/tips-for-com... What brings you hope @joanalker1.bsky.social?

Thanks for passing me this positivity chain, @1mabl.bsky.social! What gives me hope are programs like Rx Kids that have delivered over $13M in cash support to more than 3K families. Parents say it helps them make ends meet! rxkids.org/rx-kids-part... Passing to @mona-shah.bsky.social!

The so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed this summer, but the damage will be felt for years. @rwjf.org created a chart to help explain what to expect. Share this in your feed, pin it up in your community, email it to your local government. People must know how they’ll be affected by these policies.

We are deeply excited to welcome Jason D. Williamson as NCLEJ’s next Executive Director! As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, our work is more important than ever. Visit nclej.org to learn more about our efforts to advance racial, economic, and disability justice.

Stability, higher profits, higher wages. Research shows diversity is good for business - so rolling back DEI programs was never really about best practices, was it?

In the interest of adding some motivation and proof that we can get through this to our feeds, I’m calling on @1mabl.bsky.social ‬ to kick off a positivity chain: Allyn, share one thing that gives you hope in this health equity fight, and then pass it on. I'll start:

Not enough young adults see voting as important, likely due to broken trust in our democracy. Policymakers, educators, and adults have work to do to rebuild that trust. Gotta start them young!

“People need to have more kids!” If only there was a way to help people who want to have kids but can’t afford it … Wait! Medicaid and SNAP do just that. But they were cut. Policymakers who truly want Americans to have more kids, we know the policies that work. www.newamerica.org/the-thread/a...

Don’t miss this year’s call for applications for the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program - applications are due November 3. Share this with your feed and others you think should apply: www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...

All of us are one part of a web made up of our families, friends, neighbors and more. Immigration laws designed to disappear people from their networks leave holes in these webs that are irreparable. Read this heartbreaking, important piece:

Our new explainer is here -- all you need to know about the Medicaid, CHIP and ACA Marketplace provisions in the new budget reconciliation law.

If Venus Williams, a world-renowned athlete with an incredible career, is worried about health insurance, imagine how all the people struggling to make ends meet feel, especially after the administration gutted Medicaid. www.newsweek.com/venus-willia...

Alright, I started a list. Here’s what I have so far of all the ways the Medicaid cuts will take us further from a health system that works well for everyone. What should I add?

When Jennifer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at just 26 years old, Medicaid became her lifeline. Medicaid coverage allows her to manage her illness and live independently.

How can public health systems adapt in times of rapid change? Join HIP Co-Director Lili Farhang & other leaders in the field to find out at The Intersection on Aug. 7. Register today @ meetattheintersection.org/equity-in-a-...

Data on the dire state of maternal health in the U.S. is not enough. People need solutions. Thankfully, in Our Own Voice put together a policy agenda for Black Reproductive Justice that points to a path forward. Please share this with your circle. blackrj.org/blackrjpolic...

This is a fascinating look into how far SNAP dollars get people depending on where they live in the U.S. Spoiler alert - they don’t get people far enough, and this gap will only get worse with the looming SNAP cuts.

Americans are hitting our limit watching profit be prioritized over people. Our health system hasn’t worked well for a long time, and now we’ve watched it be stripped for parts to pad the one percent’s pockets. Healthcare is not a luxury; it should be a right. Our system needs to recognize that.

The recent SCOTUS decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood strips freedoms in healthcare, like choosing your provider and access to services like cancer screenings and birth control. We need more freedoms and choices in our health system, not less. www.kff.org/policy-watch...

Our country is at its best when we embrace the many perspectives that make us who we are. Immigrants make America great. But the administration’s policies are making America hostile to immigrants, regardless of legal status, including blocking them from healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

The hits keep coming for families. Under this new law, 2.6 million children who are U.S. citizens will not be eligible for the Child Tax Credit. These tax credits help families provide a better life for their kids and move them out of poverty. Stripping them away is a cruel, calculated choice.

With the passage of the anything-but-beautiful bill, 3 million people may lose access to SNAP benefits due to paperwork hurdles of complying with work reporting requirements. Work reporting requirements are cuts under a new name. theconversation.com/big-legislat...

It’s essential for all parents and caregivers to have adequate time off to bond with and care for a new child. This time also allows for more equitable caregiving roles at home. Traditional models of caregiving are shifting, and so should paid leave policies! New Data ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/paid...

This is the last week to apply for this amazing advocacy opportunity from the @newdisabledsouth.org!

Cutting Medicaid so severely is careless. Medicaid has the power to reduce homelessness and jail stays, and keep families together. Affordable health care impacts so much of our lives. Policymakers, shame on your failure to stand up for your constituents and protect Medicaid.

This is an important reminder for advocates defending affordable care—research shows that people increase their support for extending the ACA tax credits after hearing that if they expire it will cause people to lose health insurance.

Kids with disabilities, like the ones in these photos from the @nytimes.com, rely on Medicaid. The cuts Congress is threatening would take away the care that helps future generations grow up healthy. I urge Congress to protect this essential lifeline for families. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/u...

Great interview! Developing data literacy skills helps people make better decisions that affect their health—like what medications to take, how to vote, and what medical advice to trust.

In this ‪@theprogressivemag.bsky.social op-ed, @twmorrissey.bsky.social writes that the small, temporary Child Tax Credit in the GOP’s new tax bill doesn’t offset cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP, leaving families struggling to get by. Read. ⤵️ progressive.org/op-eds/gop-t...

“This love cannot be expressed only in words—it must be shown.” In honor of Father’s Day, I wanted to share this poem from RWJF’s own Dwayne Curry. It rings so powerful and true. Happy belated Father’s Day to all the dads helping keep their families happy and healthy. youtu.be/CtL4VeqZrLk?...

Across the country, outdated water systems with lead pipes are poisoning families, dragging down local economies and even reducing property values. I wrote in POLITICO about how states and cities are showing that lead pipe removal is achievable with the right policies and financing. bit.ly/3ThxniS

Common sense tells us that kids have to be healthy to go to school. When they can't access healthcare they need, they miss school for longer. With the looming medicaid cuts, absenteeism will rise. Just one more reason policymakers need to protect Medicaid. scholars.org/contribution...

Check out this research, which found a positive relationship between immigration, wages and innovation.⬇️

Overly broad abortion bans not only endanger people’s health, they criminalize miscarriage, turning a personal tragedy into a crime. We need laws that help people through hard medical situations, not make them much, much worse.

Medicaid is the primary funder of residency programs training the new generation of doctors, which is necessary as we are in a NATIONAL SHORTAGE of physicians and nurses. Medicaid funds rural hospitals & ERs (hospitals are nonprofits) which WILL CLOSE without these funds.

I can't believe we live in a country that forced Adriana Smith’s family to keep her body on a ventilator since February because of Georgia’s abortion laws. Pregnant people need policies that help them get healthy. Abortion bans aren't about health - they're about power. www.npr.org/2025/05/21/n...

As Congress revises, deliberates over, and votes multiple times on the reconciliation bill that guts Medicaid, there are many moving parts to keep track of. This resource from @kffhealthnews.org lays out how this bill will impact uninsured rates in each state. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

In case you missed it - really great news for abortion rights coming out of Michigan. Taking away these barriers to care will change and save lives!

Amid a flood of discouraging news, it's hopeful to hear about the brilliant people are fighting to make health not a privilege, but a right. Time released their 2025 Time100 Health list. I suggest reading about Rachel Sweet, Ronitha Nath and Julie Burkhart to start: time.com/collections/...

The proposal to cut Medicaid threatens women’s health & unfairly targets immigrants. It will limit access to maternal care, create new barriers for caregivers & exclude immigrants from coverage. These cruel cuts push us further away from a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.

Congress is seeking to play the role of a reverse Robin Hood by raiding the safety net to finance tax cuts for the wealthy. This will hurt our health, our communities, and our economy. I spoke with Fierce Healthcare about these cuts: www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/u...

Yesterday marked 100 days of the administration, and in that time, we have experienced a wave of harmful actions. Cara James, GIH President and CEO, released a statement: “These changes will not make us healthier, and they threaten our democracy. We, the American people, deserve better.” Read more:

As a scientist turned policy advocate, I’ve come to understand how vital research is to sound governance. I spoke with @insidephilanthropy.com about how the gutting of HHS isn’t strategic and will have direct, serious and harmful consequences. www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/bloodba...

Medicaid cuts are an everybody problem. Even if you are not part of the over 50% directly connected, cuts to Medicaid will impact the rest of our health system, leading to long wait times, fewer hospitals, and more strained healthcare workers.

If subsidy enhancements aren't extended, Marketplace enrollment will drop sharply: www.healthinsurance.org/blog/how-sun... And the proposed rule changes are designed to result in even fewer enrollees: www.healthinsurance.org/blog/propose... Given all of that, carrier exits shouldn't be surprising.

I hope all the moms out there had a restful Mother’s Day. In the words of the great poet Gwendolyn Brooks, “We are each other’s harvest: we are each other’s business: we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” Being with your people can be so revitalizing and affirming.

If Medicaid is cut at the federal level, many states will be forced to make up the difference from other places in their budgets. It won’t just be a cut to Medicaid - it could be a cut to education, transportation, and more. stateline.org/2025/04/17/s...