Cuts to Medicaid Proposed by Congressional Republicans Would Have a Devastating Impact on Health Care Access for Alaska Residents - Families USA Skip to Main Content
03.19.2025 / Press Release

Cuts to Medicaid Proposed by Congressional Republicans Would Have a Devastating Impact on Health Care Access for Alaska Residents

Families USA’s New Fact Sheet Highlights Importance of Medicaid for Alaska’s Families

Juneau, AK – A new fact sheet details the impacts of deep cuts to the Medicaid program in the Republican budget proposal that Rep. Nick Begich voted for, which would have devastating consequences for the health and economic security of Alaska. Medicaid provides health care coverage for nearly 100,000 Alaska native people, including 83,200 children, according to a new fact sheet from Families USA.

“Americans have been showing up in townhalls, calling their representatives in Congress and demanding that Republicans in Washington stop their plan to massively cut the health care that Americans want and need,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA. “The proposed deep cuts to Medicaid would be devastating for Alaska residents, resulting in significant coverage losses, forcing rural hospitals, long-term care facilities or community clinics to close or scale back services, and throwing state budgets into crisis. We should all be asking every member of Congress who voted for this budget why they are willing to harm working families in their own district just to pay for a tax break for billionaires.”

Medicaid is a lifeline for Alaska: 

  • Nearly 100,000 native people — 40% of all Medicaid enrollees in Alaska.
  • 83,200 children are on Medicaid — 48% of all children in Alaska.
  • 27,700 seniors and people with disabilities have Medicaid coverage.

Families in Alaska Already Struggle to Pay for Health Care:

  • The median amount of medical debt collections is $1,406.

Families USA, the longtime health care consumer advocate, is organizing with groups in Alaska and across the nation to protect Medicaid from severe cuts, caps or other regulations that will result in millions of Americans losing access to the health care they need. Earlier this year, Families USA led hundreds of organizations to call on Congress and the Trump administration to reject cuts to Medicaid and work to make health care more affordable, not less.

For additional resources, see Families USA’s fact sheets on how work reporting requirements would undermine access to Medicaid, how cuts harm families and communities, and the overall importance of Medicaid to people, the economy and the health care system.

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