This week at Unbreaking, October 16
We spent much of this week consolidating our understanding and working to make it more useful — starting with a new (much shorter!) Medicaid explainer. In brief: Shrinking Medicaid will degrade care for patients across the US no matter what kind of insurance they use, and people are justifiably mad about it. We also have a raft of new timelines coming online soon, including two that track changes in Food Safety and Medical Research Funding since January.
Medicaid
Congressional Democrats are refusing to authorize short-term measures to keep the government open unless Republicans agree to renew expiring ACA subsidies, and possibly to reverse Medicaid spending cuts as well. As the shutdown heads into its third week, we’re looking at the dangerous — and perhaps less obvious — ripple effects of this summer’s massive healthcare cuts.
The incoming cost hikes for ACA Marketplace plans are relatively easy to understand: As some subsidies expire, insurance premiums will spike, more than doubling across most of the country. But the Medicaid cuts will also affect just about everyone: first and most directly the people who will lose coverage or services, and also every person who goes to an emergency room, gets treated in a hospital, or needs long-term care. These cuts have just begun to take effect, but they’re already forcing overstretched hospitals to close labor and delivery wards across the US. The full toll on hospitals and long-term care facilities will be so heavy that it’s hard to fathom; our explainer breaks it down.
The Postal Service
The US Postal Service has so far avoided major upheavals despite the Trump administration’s threats to privatize it. Over the summer, the GOP-led Congress tried to force USPS to scrap its much-needed vehicle modernization efforts and sell off its new fleet of electric vehicles, but failed — for now.
International mail delivery to the US has been significantly disrupted by the administration’s tariffs and trade rules: postal traffic to the US has dropped more than 80%. Our Postal Service explainer has these details and more.
How to help
Unbreaking is a mutual aid cooperative, with researchers, writers, editors, and community organizers working collaboratively to create and maintain our timelines and explainers. We welcome experts and curious observers. Learn more about our work or apply to join us.