WATCH: RFK Jr., senators clash over Medicaid changes, rural hospitals

Senators and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clashed repeatedly Wednesday over planned changes to Medicaid, despite Kennedy's claim that "there are no cuts to Medicaid."

Over the course of two budget hearings Wednesday, Kennedy challenged senators who pointed to Congressional Budget Office estimates that showed President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" would reduce spending on Medicaid by $1 trillion over the next decade. Enrollment would drop by millions of people in that time frame, the estimate says.

Kennedy pointed to another CBO projection that showed federal spending would actually increase through 2035. But senators pushed back, citing rural hospital closures and health care service changes in their communities that local health officials attribute to the legislation.

Rural hospitals have long suffered financial pressures that threaten their existence. Between 2005 and 2023, 146 rural hospitals closed or stopped offering acute care, according to the USDA. Despite the creation of a Rural Health Transformation Fund, the National Rural Health Association found that rural hospitals "are expected to see a 21% decline in Medicaid reimbursement,” due to Trump’s tax and spending cut bill.

Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins

Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters

PBS News podcasts

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app

Find more from PBS News at

Subscribe to our YouTube channel