In July 2025, nearly every Republican in Congress voted to pass Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which will raise healthcare costs and cut health insurance for 10 million Americans by 2034. In 2026, Republicans are now making an absurd move: they are running midterm campaigns on the issue of healthcare. An NPR analysis from the end of July showed Republicans running in 55 competitive House districts have sponsored 50 YouTube ads focused on healthcare in swing districts, targeting individuals 35 and over. This is their second largest issue push, only after ads focused on the economy and jobs. Republicans have wreaked havoc on Americans’ healthcare and finances through federal cuts and supporting Trump’s endless war in Iran and now they are grasping at straws trying to win back public support. But as premiums skyrocket and rural hospitals shutter, American voters know who is to blame.
Republicans are taking credit for funding rural healthcare after they caused the budget shortfall.
Rural hospitals were already at risk prior to the bill’s passage. Between 2017 and 2023, 61 rural hospitals closed and just 11 opened. The OBBBA further worsened this crisis. [KFF]
338 rural hospitals were in danger of closing after the OBBBA’s passage. [Senator Ed Markey]
Republicans tout the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund included in the One Big Beautiful Bill as evidence for their support of rural healthcare facilities. [NPR]
Republicans voted to cut rural healthcare spending in the OBBB by $137 billion over the next 10 years. $50 billion in supplemental funding will obviously not eliminate the $137 billion in harm they have caused. [KFF]
As rural hospitals have closed, rural adults have experienced higher mortality rates from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, and stroke than adults living in urban areas. This is a national crisis, as roughly one quarter of Americans live in rural areas as of 2024. [National Library of Medicine; US Federal Housing Finance Agency]
As Republicans attempt to avoid blame for their harmful policies, Americans are losing coverage and healthcare giants are getting richer.
Representatives Ashley Hinson and David Valadao are both running ads in their 2026 campaigns saying they will lower costs for Americans. [NPR]
Hinson and Valadao’s support of the OBBBA helped raise ACA premium costs for Americans by 21.7% between 2025 and 2026. [House Clerk; Urban Institute]
Republicans chose not to extend the enhanced premium tax credits in last year’s reconciliation budget. Average net premiums increased by 58% as a result. [Center for American Progress]
One Iowa resident saw her premiums increase from $900 in 2025 to $9,000 in 2026. [Center for American Progress]
Pharmaceutical giants are getting wealthier under Republican leadership. Ten of the top publicly-traded drug companies alone reported $298 billion in global revenue in the first half of 2026. This is a $24 billion increase from the same period in 2025. [Protect Our Care]
Republicans’ so-called “fraud crackdown” is actually cutting millions of Americans from their healthcare.
Republicans proudly advertise the One Big Beautiful Bill as part of their “fraud crackdown” and plan to stop states from “mismanaging” Medicaid. [Senate Majority Leader John Thune]
The One Big Beautiful Bill will implement national work requirements for Medicaid recipients starting January 2027, requiring Americans to work at least 80 hours each month to receive care. This is where Republicans can point to the largest federal “savings” as they rip away Americans’ healthcare. [KFF]
9.9 million to 14.9 million Americans will be at risk of losing Medicaid coverage by 2034 due to Republicans’ work requirements. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
Some states will allow patients to retain coverage if they have a serious medical condition, but this option places the strain on the patient in retaining their care. Additionally, health policy experts say many recipients will be “unaware of the option or unable to navigate the bureaucracy.” [Politico]
Representative Mike Lawler is running ads for his 2026 campaign on Medicaid reform, saying he will “fix Medicaid, fight fraud,” and “protect taxpayers.” [NPR]
Lawler’s vote on the OBBB is projected to kick 28,000 of his constituents off their healthcare. [House Clerk; Center for American Progress]
39% of all children living in Lawler’s district rely on Medicaid. [Families USA]
Voters are concerned about rising healthcare costs and know they can’t trust Republicans to protect them.
Voters rank healthcare costs as a top affordability concern they are “very worried” about, above gasoline, groceries, utilities, and rent. [KFF]
73% of Americans say healthcare affordability is a “very big problem.” [Pew Research]
67% of voters disapprove of how the Trump administration is handling the cost of healthcare. [KFF]
37% of voters trust Democrats more on addressing the cost of healthcare, while just 26% trust Republicans more. [KFF]
Independent voters are more likely to trust Democrats than Republicans on addressing the cost of healthcare (29% vs 16%). [KFF]
Americans in battleground districts blame Republican policies, like Medicaid cuts and failing to extend the enhanced premium tax credits, for rising healthcare costs. [Navigator Research]
Share this video of Michigan gubernatorial candidate John James bragging about supporting the “Big Beautiful Bill”, jeopardizing healthcare access for more than 424,000 Michiganders.
(Photo by Alex Brandon/Getty Images)
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