Washington, DC — NMAC is deeply concerned about the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and what it represents for the future of Medicaid and the communities we serve.

This sweeping legislation includes catastrophic cuts to Medicaid—jeopardizing the health and well-being of millions of low-income Americans, including people living with and vulnerable to HIV, communities of color, LGBTQ individuals, and other historically marginalized groups. These cuts are not just numbers on a page—they are life-or-death decisions for people who rely on Medicaid to access HIV medications, preventive services like PrEP, mental health care and treatment for co-occurring conditions such as hepatitis and substance use disorders.

At a time when the HIV community is still recovering from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and facing the dismantling of federal HIV structures, this bill threatens to unravel decades of progress in the fight to end the epidemic.

NMAC calls on every advocate, every provider, and every person who believes health care is a human right to take action—now. This may be our last chance.

Call your Member of Congress today. Tell them to oppose the Medicaid provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Tell them people’s lives are not a bargaining chip.

Medicaid is the backbone of our nation’s HIV response. We cannot allow partisan politics to rip that backbone apart.

We are at a breaking point—and your voice can make the difference.

Please see the Action Alert below from our partners at AIDSUnited for more resources:

Tell the House: Listen to Your Constituents and Oppose Medicaid Cuts!

We have to get right to the point: This is our last chance to urge the House to do the right thing and oppose the budget reconciliation deal.

For months, we’ve been calling, writing, visiting their offices and showing up at town halls, but nothing has been able to convince the House or Senate majorities to protect their constituents from massive cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and many programs that allow us to live our lives.

After another rushed vote, Senate Republicans pushed through an even more draconian bill than the House had passed — making it harder for anyone but the ultra-wealthy in this country to survive. Both the House and Senate know that Medicaid is immensely popular with the American public. A poll found that 75% of voters of all types favor the program. Yet, nearly all House and Senate Republicans stand behind cuts that are sure to decimate state budgets, make everyone’s health care more expensive, and cut at least 14 million people off of their health care. All to give major tax breaks to the rich.

It is up to us, their constituents, to demand they do the right thing and stand up for Medicaid. But this is our last chance.

Since the HIV epidemic began in the 1980s, Medicaid has given people access to life-saving and life-extending HIV care. Today, more than 40% of adults with HIV rely on Medicaid to cover their healthcare. And in states that have adopted Medicaid expansion, more than half of adults with HIV have gotten coverage that way. Medicaid is critical to keeping rural hospitals open and is the backbone of our entire health care system. Nevertheless, the House plans to pass the largest Medicaid cut in history so they can make the rich richer, the poor poorer, and all of us sicker.

We can’t let them pass this big brutal bill. Now is the time to act.

Call your Representative at (202) 224-3121 or find their information here.

This press release was published July 1, 2025, by NMAC. It is republished with permission.