This National Caregivers Day, Republicans are showing their “appreciation” by waging a war on health care — jacking up premiums, imposing burdensome work reporting requirements, and ransacking Medicaid to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. The63 million caregivers across the nation are the invisible backbone of our communities. They come from all walks of life and care for family members, friends, neighbors, seniors, and people with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. Because of their vital role in supporting those who need it most, caregivers’ own emotional and physical well-being too often takes a back burner. Now, they stand to disproportionately suffer the fallout of the Trump-GOP health care crusade — a war that not only harms caregivers but also negatively impacts the millions of Americans they care for.
Who Are Caregivers? Roughlyone in four Americans can be described as a caregiver. A majority (61 percent) of caregivers are women, and most care for a family member (82 percent), typically a parent or spouse. Caregivers come from all backgrounds, with 61 percent identifying as white, 16 percent Latino/Hispanic, 13 percent Black, and 6 percent Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI). Nearly half (40 percent) of caregivers live with the person they care for, and 22 percent spend 21 or more hours per week providing care. Caregivers (47 percent) also tend to be a part of the “sandwich generation” that is taking care of young children at home and their aging parents. Seven in 10 caregivers also have a paid job in addition to caregiving, with half experiencing negative work impacts due to balancing the two.
Trump Is Making It Financially Impossible For Family Members To Take Care Of Their Loved Ones. Medicaid’s long-term services and support (LTSS) programs play a critical role in compensating caregivers for the care they provide. 47 states and the District of Columbia have programs to provide payment to caregivers through Medicaid waivers or state plan options. These generally come in the form of hourly wages or daily stipends comparable to those of other direct care providers. These programs are commonly available to people caring for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, seniors, and people with physical disabilities. However, Republicans passed the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, which will undoubtedly result in reductions in these programs. The implementation of these cuts will be devastating to families across the country that rely on LTSS programs to make ends meet while caring for an older or disabled family member. Cuts to Medicaid caregiver funding are already hitting the country:
- “Arizona families fear financial ruin, homelessness, as new disability care restrictions loom. New age-based limits blindside parents who quit their jobs to care for their disabled children.” [AZ Mirror, 9/11/25]
- “[Susan] Root is still figuring out what she’ll do if the caregiver cuts take effect. She’s a single mother, and the rate Medicaid pays to care for Amy is her primary source of income. Getting another job isn’t an option without someone else at home to manage her daughter’s health, and cutting her current income roughly in half isn’t going to work with the cost of living in Colorado Springs, she said.” [The Denver Post, 11/20/25]
Republican Work Requirements Will Rip Health Care Away From Caregivers. Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill cut $1 trillion from Medicaid’s budget, ripping away health care from 10 million Americans, to bankroll tax breaks for the uber wealthy. An estimated 5 million Americans will lose coverage from a single provision in the bill: work requirements. Work requirements don’t result in more people working, just fewer people having Medicaid. 92 percent of people with Medicaid are working in a job that doesn’t provide health care, including 7.3 million people who identify as caregivers. Imposing work reporting requirements punishes them with paperwork that often leads to coverage losses, and wastes money on high administrative costs instead of health care. In practice, work requirements are known to throw thousands of people off coverage regardless of whether or not they qualify for an exemption.
Caregivers Are Already Vulnerable to Poor Health Outcomes — the Trump-GOP Health Care War Will Make That Problem Worse.One in five caregivers reports having poor or fair health and struggles to maintain their own emotional and physical wellness. Caregivers tend toexperience higher levels of depression and face increased feelings of isolation.Over 50 percent feel as though they have no choice in being a caregiver. Caregivers can also be prone to burnout, causing them to avoid going to doctors’ appointments and delay treatment for health conditions. If burnout symptoms are left untreated, caregivers and the people they care for will experience a reduced quality of life and health decline.
Republicans’ Ripped Away Health Care Tax Credits, Raising Premium Prices for Millions of Caregivers. At the beginning of the year, Republicans ended the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care tax credits, doubling and tripling premiums for over20 million hardworking Americans and putting health care out of reach for millions. Families are being forced to decide between putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their head, and affording health care coverage.One in three people who buy health care on their own are reducing their coverage and paying thousands more each year in health care costs. The63 million Americans who care for family members, friends, or neighbors, will bear a disproportionate brunt of that burden.
