The One, Big, Beautiful DISASTER: How Trump’s Tax Cuts Are Gutting Public Programs and Fueling Healthcare Privatization

Bavan S
11 hours ago
2 min read

*Millions of elderly, disabled, and poor Americans will be affected by the cuts proposed in the new bill.*

How Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid Are Paving the Way for Privatization—and What That Means for Gen Z

It’s being marketed as “fiscal responsibility.” But behind the patriotic branding of Trump’s revived 2017 tax cuts and the House’s new budget proposal lies a much more dangerous trend: the slow dismantling of public safety nets like Medicare and Medicaid, paving the way for further privatization of American healthcare. And Gen Z? You're footing the bill—whether you realize it or not.

So What’s Happening, Exactly?

Let’s start with the budget. The House just passed a bill extending Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations—at a cost of $4.6 trillion over 10 years. To offset that massive tab, they're slashing funds elsewhere. Guess what’s on the chopping block?

Medicaid: Facing cuts of up to $880 billion.
Medicare: Set to lose $500 billion due to automatic sequestration rules triggered by the deficit explosion.
SNAP, housing, and education? Also shrinking.

The Fine Print: How They’re Doing It

These aren’t straightforward shutdowns. It’s death by a thousand cuts:

Work requirements for Medicaid: Requiring 80 hours/month of work or documentation—even though most recipients already work or face barriers (like illness or caregiving).
Frequent eligibility checks: Kicking people off for missing a form or deadline.
Medicare cuts via “PAYGO”: The law says if tax cuts raise the deficit, spending gets automatically slashed. Translation? Doctors get paid less, and care access shrinks.
Reduced funding to states: Particularly for states that cover immigrants or expanded Medicaid under the ACA.

All of these lead to one thing: fewer people on public plans, and more scrambling for private options.

Privatization: The Real Endgame?

They’ll never say it out loud—but it’s happening.

Medicare Advantage (private Medicare) now covers over 50% of all Medicare users, driven by aggressive advertising and government support.
State Medicaid pullbacks (or refusals to expand) leave low-income people with no choice but to go uninsured or pay out-of-pocket.
Private insurers are winning: These companies spend hundreds of millions on lobbying, influencing policy that leaves public programs gutted and private profits protected.

Companies spend hundreds of millions on lobbying, influencing policy that leaves public programs gutted and private profits protected.

Why Gen Z Should Care

You might not be on Medicaid or Medicare now—but here’s what it means for your future:

You’ll pay more out-of-pocket as public safety nets weaken.
Healthcare inequality will skyrocket—especially for people of color, rural communities, and young workers in gig jobs.
When you’re older, you’ll inherit a system where “affordable healthcare” is just another subscription tier—not a human right.

Final Thought

This isn’t just about taxes or old people’s benefits. It’s about the deliberate gutting of public systems that protect the most vulnerable—under the guise of economic growth. The result? A healthcare system even more dominated by corporate interests.

So yes, the tax cuts might be "big" and "beautiful"—but for millions of Americans, including Gen Z, the fallout is shaping up to be a disaster.