America can do better than cutting Medicaid and Medicare. Here’s a proven way to save healthcare.

Outside the Box

Hospitals and outpatient clinics need to deliver their own spending cuts and cost savings

Last Updated: June 17, 2025 at 5:04 p.m. ET
First Published: June 17, 2025 at 7:35 a.m. ET

In addition to Medicaid cuts, even Medicare cuts are on the table as Congress debates the healthcare spending provisions in President Donald Trump’s budget bill. The Congressional Budget Office projected that this bill would actually increase the U.S. budget deficit by $2.4 trillion over a decade — with 10.9 million more Americans not having health insurance.

Are these budget cuts to Medicaid and Medicare really necessary, or can they be avoided? We have to look first at the root cause of the proposed cuts. What brought the U.S. to this point? What are the pros and cons of any Medicaid and Medicare cuts?