‘Tsunami of cuts’: Apple Health could be gutted, senators say

Both of Washington state’s Democratic U.S. senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, are campaigning against a Republican-backed budget proposal that, if approved as written, would require $880 billion cut over the next decade from programs under the same Congressional committee that oversees Medicaid.

It’s one of several massive proposed budget reductions—including hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to the agricultural and education sectors—that House Republicans said is intended to reduce the deficit. In the same budget proposal, Defense and Homeland Security spending increases by $100 billion and $90 billion, respectively.

Despite multiple programs being on the chopping block, Cantwell estimated more than 90 percent of the $880 billion would have to come from massive cuts to Medicaid.

“You are talking about a tsunami of cuts that would hit Medicaid, and we can’t afford it,” she said.

Trump says he won’t hurt Medicaid recipients

The budget resolution, passed by the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, last month, falls largely in line with President Donald Trump’s agenda, but Trump has promised that those relying on Medicaid would not see their benefits restricted.

Medicaid, which is funded through both federal and state governments, is one of the largest national spending items every year. Reuters reported numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office which show the feds spent $618 billion on the program last year.

“I can’t even believe they [Republicans] are proposing them,” she added.

If Medicaid is cut, what would that mean for Washington?

Medicaid cuts could have immense financial consequences for the almost one-in-five who rely on the low-income health coverage. Nearly 1.9 million Washingtonians are enrolled in Washington state’s Medicaid program, named Apple Health, according to Cantwell’s office.

A Western Washington mother invited to speak at a press conference to oppose potential cuts on Tuesday said her family could be right in the crosshairs.

Whitney Stohr’s son Malachi was born with spina bifida and has undergone multiple life-saving surgeries since birth.

“Honestly, we simply couldn’t do it financially,” Stohr said, estimating that her family would face $30,000 to $40,000 in out-of-pocket costs annually if Apple Health was severely restricted or forced to shut down from the cuts.

“It’s scary,” she said.

Julie Clark, a Medicaid recipient who relies on caregivers for basic needs like mobility, addressed reporters at a separate press conference with Sen. Patty Murray in Olympia on Monday.

“Staff take care of my physical needs because I can’t take care of myself due to my disability,” she said through a speech device.

Clark expressed fear at the possibility that her care could be restricted or cut entirely, saying “I would be forced to live in an institution.”

Efforts to spotlight potential cuts

Since Monday, Murray and Cantwell have each invited reporters to press conferences in Olympia and Seattle, but they pitched part of their messages across the mountains.

“Washington’s 4th and 5th Congressional Districts have the highest proportions of people who rely on Medicaid,” Murray said. “Those are the places that are really going to get hit the hardest.”

In largely Democratic-represented Western Washington, Cantwell said blue-collar families in Pierce and South King Counties would feel the brunt, too.

“In Federal Way, Burien, SeaTac, Kent areas, more than 70 percent of children get their health care coverage through Medicaid,” Cantwell said.

Lobbying against cuts

With enough support for the budget proposal in the House—but its fate uncertain among some key Republican votes in the Senate— the Democratic senators from Washington are turning to voters to try and sway their elected representatives.

“We need everyone to call their member of Congress and the White House,” Cantwell said.

Leadership from Harborview Medical Center—where Cantwell spoke alongside two health care CEOs, a pediatric cardiologist and the founder of a cancer support nonprofit—reported that 35 percent of its patients in 2024 were enrolled in Apple Health. At Seattle Children’s Hospital, numbers provided by Cantwell’s office show more than half of their patients in 2024 paid through Medicaid.

Medical professionals told KIRO Newsradio they have deep concerns about the cuts and health networks’ ability to absorb the cost if the federal government suddenly ceases reimbursements of care.

Unionized health care workers, including a member of the Washington State Hospital Association, said they expect any cuts to Medicaid to lead to significant layoffs at hospitals and clinics across the state.

So when will Washingtonians on Apple Health know if they can expect the federal government to slash its contribution to their coverage? It’s not entirely clear. Cantwell said she expects to know more about the 2026 budget when the chamber discusses it this spring.

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