Democrats claim that the Big, Beautiful Bill will take Medicaid and Medicare away from many Americans and even “kill” people. But is any of this true? Glenn Beck and Stu Burguiere review just the facts and explain who’s actually affected by the changes.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Can I address some of the hyperbole around the big, beautiful bill, just a little bit.
If there's anything in the big, beautiful bill to worry about, it's the increase in spending.
Because the spending ourself into oblivion is an actual threat.
To the country. But that's not what anybody is talking about. What everybody seems to be talking about is the tax cuts. Which were already there. Or the tax cuts like no tax for tips. Which you would think the party of the little people. You know, the Democrats. Would all be for. But they're not.
Because they're not party of the little people anymore. And those had to be offset.
Okay. Offset. By what?
Well, by cutting spending. But cutting what spending?
Not cutting spending. Let me just say this. If I said, you know, I made $250,000 a year. And this year, we were going to spend $300,000.
Okay?
And you would say, immediately, Glenn. You can't do that.
And I would say, I've been doing that for 30 years. Okay. You might say, the bank is not going to give a loan.
But then if I came to you and said, yeah. I'm spending $300,000 a year. And my wife and I make 250 or 200,000 a year. But, you know, next year, I was going to spend $500,000.
Did you get a raise? No. I didn't get a raise. I still make 250,000 dollars a year between my wife and I.
But I'm going to spend 500 and not 300. And then somebody came in, like an accountant with some muscle.
And they said, Glenn, you cannot spend $500,000 a year!
Would it make sense if I went back to spending 300, not 200, which I had.
But 300, which I had been spending every year, would it make sense to you to -- for me to say, my children are now going to starve? My children are now going to starve.
Look at the austerity program that I am on.
My gosh, they just -- no. They didn't cut anything. They must cut thinking.
They cut the increase inning spending.
That's what they cut.
And, Stu, could you please explain Medicare.
I mean, all of the people. I know they warned us.
I didn't believe the death squads would actually go out.
And, you know, they want these people off Medicare so badly.
Or Medicaid.
They just sent out death squads. Trump is not waiting for them to die, because he's not waiting for them to get their prescriptions now he just wants them slaughtered in the street.
STU: Yeah, that's the efficiency of the Trump administration. He wants these people dead so badly, he's just killing them in the streets. Actually, no, none of that is happening.
And the Medicaid cuts as you point out, are largely cuts to future increases that have not occurred.
The biggest chunk of this is the work requirements. You've heard this, Glenn.
And, you know, I went through this. And I was like, this can't possibly be what they mean.
I said, wait a minute. When they say work requirement cuts, what does that mean?
So I dove into it a little bit. Basically, what they're saying, you, if you're an able-bodied adult, so that does not include old people, does not include people who are sick and can't work. And it also does not include people who have small children, even if they are able-bodied.
And when I say small, I mean 12 and under. So if you have a 12-year-old. You're completely exempt from this.
But able-bodied adults.
GLENN: Okay. On people in wheelchairs.
STU: No. Gosh, again, I know this is tough. Yeah, this is where it gets difficult.
GLENN: Wait. I'm having a hard time following this. What now?.
STU: So you're an able-bodied adult, that does not have small children.
GLENN: No small children.
STU: You would be required to get Medicaid, to work 20 hours a week.
Now, you might --
GLENN: Twenty hours a week.
STU: Or 80 hours a month.
GLENN: Or 80 hours a month.
That's almost half a full-time job.
STU: Now, you might say to yourself. And this is actually true.
Some people can't get jobs. Right?
I'm sure, there are people trying to get part-time jobs. And maybe can't get them.
Those people will just lose their Medicaid. Well, as you may understand.
Of course not.
Because what you have to do then is go through a process, that you're basically telling them, you're attempting to get a job. Or you're volunteering somewhere, to meet that requirement.
So basically, you have to fill out -- yeah. It's like unemployment.
You have to at least fill out some paperwork here.
GLENN: It's the exact opposite.
Let me see if I have this right.
It's the exact opposite of unemployment which we've had forever.
Which if you're looking for a job, but can't get it. You can still have unemployment.
But it's the exact opposite. Right?
Especially if you're nursing sextuplets.
STU: Again, you're not very close to the truth.
You're a little bit off on this one.
GLENN: No. Huh!
STU: By the way, Glenn, you might say to yourself, wait. How is that a Medicaid cut?
Because they're not cutting anyone's eligibility here. Unless they don't want to meet the requirement.
Of course, there's always been requirements to all of these programs.
So meeting the requirements have always been part of getting on to Medicaid.
This requirement, if you decide basically not to do it. And not participate. And not fill out the paperwork.
Then, yes. You will lose your Medicaid coverage.
What they're saying, hold on. All right.
GLENN: No. I just want to make sure I have it right.
STU: Yes.
GLENN: If you are blind, you're deaf.
STU: No. Again, no.
GLENN: You have no friends, and you can't get out of the house, and you've been on Medicaid, somehow or another, you signed up for that. But now, you don't even know, because you can't hear the news. You certainly can't fill out a form. Because you have no eyes.
STU: Hmm.
GLENN: They just come in and rip your Medicaid away?
STU: No. None of what you said is accurate.
Though, it is calm considering some of the accusations -- comparisons made bit left right now.
But, yeah.
So if you are an able-bodied adult that decides, you know what, I don't feel like filling out the paperwork, or I don't feel like going to job interviews, or I don't feel like volunteering, then yes. You could lose -- but that's what they're saying the cuts are.
They think 317 billion dollars worth of people will not bother doing those things. For whatever reason. Maybe because they had more money than they said. Maybe because they're lazy.
Maybe because -- I'm sure there's some case where some -- I don't know.
I can't think of the case.
GLENN: Blind person.
STU: Because the ailments are covered here.
But, yes. Maybe it's some particular skin color. Then they would reject you.
I don't know.
And it's not just that. There are other cuts. For example, some of the cuts are, they're eliminate duplicate Medicaid enrollment.
If you happen to have Medicaid.
GLENN: I can't double-dip.
STU: In two different states. They're going to try to stop you from having it in two states.
And instead, make you have it one state. Uh-huh.
GLENN: Hold on just one second.
I have two legs. I have two arms. I have two eyes. I have two nostrils. I have two ears.
I can't have two Medicaid coverages. It's insane!
STU: I know.
It's really, really brutal.
GLENN: I have two kidneys. I can only have one kidney now, you know, repaired?
STU: Now --
GLENN: Is that what you're saying?
STU: That's not what I'm saying. But, yes. I'm sure that's what's being reported out there by Dana Bash.
Another one, I will give you here, Glenn. They talked about immigrants.
You know, immigrants getting on their Medicaid cut. Now, this is tough. What this bill does, I want you to hold on to your hat here, Glenn.
GLENN: Okay.
STU: If you have green card holders and other certain immigrants, some will lose their coverage. Or actually, sorry, eligibility will -- retain for those people.
Certain other immigrants may lose their coverage. The current law says, all who are lawfully present.
That will kick in after a -- how many year waiting period?
Let me guess, it's a five-year waiting period.
So it will be the next president who has to deal with this, when future Congress will just put it right back in. And it's not a savings at all.
And then you have Medicaid death checks. They're going to require --
GLENN: They're checking on whether your debt? Look at this! It's crazy.
STU: It's brutal. It really is.
GLENN: You're going to kick all of the immigrants off in five years.
STU: No.
GLENN: And then you're checking to see if old people are dead!
When will you leave these people alone?
STU: I know. So, anyway, we can go through this stuff all day. But as you point out, most of this stuff is not at all, what the left is saying it is.
It's not the desperate Medicaid cuts that are going to ruin everybody's lives. A lot of them are just really common sense stuff, making sure you don't have them in two states. I don't know what the positive argument is for that. But they'll make it.
GLENN: Well, they don't have one. That's why they don't make it about that.