Medicaid Cuts Haunt Republicans in Battleground States

Healthcare Senior Policy Advisor Larry Bucshon was quoted in a POLITICO article analyzing Democrat and Republican campaign strategy around healthcare as the 2026 midterm elections draw near. Democrats on the campaign trail have emphasized cuts to Medicaid enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, citing examples of hospitals that have closed or plan to close as a result of the loss of federal funding. Republicans, in response, have touted the $50 billion in rural health funding, describing the opportunities the Rural Health Transformation Fund would unlock for their states. Larry, who served as a congressman for Indiana for seven terms prior to joining Holland & Knight, told POLITICO he has observed that Republican candidates are struggling to defend the Medicaid cuts, which could spell trouble for their election prospects.

"A good part of the impact will be on states that are rural and red states, and it definitely has put some Republican candidates in a position of needing to explain the policy, which is complicated and difficult to explain," he commented. "And as they say in politics: If you're explaining, you're losing."

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