RELEASE: Working Families Tax Cuts Protect the Social Safety Net for Years to Come

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2026

CONTACT: Mandi Critchfield

Washington, D.C.—This week marks 61 years since Medicare and Medicaid were created to ensure those who cannot provide for themselves—children, people with disabilities and low-income seniors—would have access to health care. Since then, Americans have come to rely on both programs as a central component of the social safety net. Through the Working Families Tax Cuts, Republicans enacted long-needed reforms that will strengthen and preserve these programs for the people who need them most.

“For decades, our social safety net programs have helped some of our nation’s most vulnerable populations,” said U.S. Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). “Commonsense reforms that target waste, fraud and abuse will ensure programs like Medicaid stay financially viable for many more years to come.”

Medicare and Medicaid reforms in the Working Families Tax Cuts:

• Requires able-bodied adults to work, volunteer or study at least 20 hours a week to remain eligible for Medicaid benefits
• Increases 2026 Medicare payments to doctors and other health care providers
• Prevents Medicaid payments for beneficiaries who have died, are enrolled in multiple states or do not qualify for the program
• Stops non-citizens who entered the country under dubious Biden Administration processes from receiving Medicaid benefits
• Increases the frequency of Medicaid eligibility verifications for able-bodied adults

What they are saying:

“Community engagement is not just a policy requirement—it is an opportunity for states to modernize Medicaid systems while strengthening connections to work, education and community-based opportunities.” – CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz

“These commonsense work requirements for able-bodied, working-age adults on Medicaid represent a critical step toward restoring Medicaid to its original purpose: serving as a targeted safety net for the most vulnerable rather than an open-ended entitlement that discourages work and strains taxpayer resources.” – Paragon Health Institute

Click here to learn more about the Finance Committee provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts.

About Mike Crapo

Senator Mike Crapo has represented Idaho in the Senate since 1999, following three terms in the U.S. House and eight years in the Idaho State Senate. A lifelong Idahoan, he currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

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