The CBO Breakdown on Medicaid Losses, Increase in Uninsured

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would reduce Medicaid enrollment and cause millions of people to become uninsured by 2034. It didn’t say that “5 million” of the people who are “going to lose insurance” would have “other insurance” so “they’re still insured,” as National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett misleadingly claimed.

Hassett was talking about some of the estimated changes to Medicaid coverage and access to other types of health insurance. But he exaggerated the number who the CBO said would still retain some coverage, and his remark may leave the mistaken impression that he was addressing the CBO’s estimate of the increase in the uninsured.

Some who are expected to lose Medicaid coverage will not be left entirely uninsured. For example, the figure that Hassett cited includes individuals the CBO said would lose Medicaid but keep their Medicare benefits. And Hassett’s figure includes people expected to be unenrolled from Medicaid in one state but remain enrolled in another state – meaning they wouldn’t actually lose Medicaid.