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Trump administration deports hundreds of immigrants, even as a judge orders removals be stopped; Sierra Club sues DOGE over mass firings; Lack of opportunity pushes rural Gen Zers in AZ out of their communities; Fixing one problem, creating another? Ohio's lead pipe replacements.

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Secretary of State Rubio pledges more arrests like that of student activist Mahmoud Khalil. Former EPA directors sound the alarm on Lee Zeldin's deregulation plans, and lack of opportunity is pushing rural Gen Zers out of their communities.

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Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

GOP budget eyes Medicaid cuts, a significant impact for Native communities

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Friday, February 14, 2025   

A preliminary federal budget unveiled by Republicans this week includes cuts to Medicaid, which a recent study reveals would disproportionately impact New Mexico counties with high populations of Native people.

Research by Georgetown University found rural counties that are home to large numbers of American Indians are more likely to rely on Medicaid for health insurance across all age groups.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and research professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, said it's a national pattern.

"This is important," she said, "because if Congress moves ahead to make large cuts, these areas and Indian Country more generally will be in big trouble."

Among the Lower 48 states, New Mexico has the fourth highest percentage of Native Americans. Overall, a higher percentage of the state's population is covered by Medicaid than the national average, with a high of 51% in McKinley County to a low of 21% in Los Alamos County.

G0P leaders have sought to reassure Medicaid states and recipients that changes under discussion don't include drastic cuts, but rather additional work requirements and fraud reduction. The budget is only a draft now, but Alker warned that significant cuts such as lowering the federal match for Medicaid-expansion states or instituting a per capita cap could have devastating consequences.

"Cuts of this magnitude would force states to make very painful choices about cutting services, cutting benefits, reducing payments to providers, cutting eligibility," she said.

Following release of the draft budget this week, Alker called the proposed 11% cut - $880-billion over 10 years - "punishing" and said they conflict with President Donald Trump's promise to protect Medicaid.


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