Shocking Medicaid Cuts by Congressman Kean Harm Vulnerable New Jersey Kids and Seniors

Yesterday, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. made a choice that hit New Jersey families like a freight train. By voting to cut billions from Medicaid in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he put the health of nearly two million residents at risk. From Mountainside to Flemington, parents, seniors, and children now face a future where lifesaving care could vanish. Kean’s decision stings because it betrays the very people he promised to represent.

This vote affects real lives. Parents in Fanwood might struggle to afford insulin for their kids. Seniors in Basking Ridge could lose access to cancer specialists. Children in Netcong with chronic conditions may go without treatments that keep them stable. Medicaid isn’t a faceless program; it’s the backbone of healthcare for New Jersey’s most vulnerable. Kean’s willingness to undermine it feels like a punch to the gut for communities already stretched thin.

Kean justified his vote by claiming it targets ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’ That excuse falls apart under scrutiny. Medicaid’s administrative costs are among the lowest in healthcare, and fraud accounts for a tiny sliver of its budget. If Kean wants to tackle waste, he could start with bloated corporate tax breaks or unchecked defense spending. Instead, he’s targeting a program that delivers efficient, essential care to millions. It’s a choice that prioritizes politics over people.

In March, I met with residents across Kean’s 7th Congressional District to discuss proposed Medicaid cuts. Their stories were heartbreaking. A mother from Far Hills explained how Medicaid covers her daughter’s epilepsy medication, preventing dangerous seizures. A retiree in Mountainside shared his reliance on the program for dialysis after decades of work. These New Jerseyans aren’t asking for handouts—they’re fighting to survive. Yet Kean seems deaf to their pleas.

Kean’s absence from these conversations is glaring. Constituents say he avoids town halls, preferring Washington’s insulated halls to the real-world struggles of Netcong or Flemington. If he sat with these families, he’d see the terror in their eyes at the thought of losing Medicaid. Why does he dodge these voices? Facing them would force him to confront the human toll of his vote—a toll he appears unwilling to acknowledge.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that cuts like Kean’s could strip coverage from 7.6 to 13.7 million Americans by 2034. In New Jersey, thousands could lose access to doctors, medications, or hospital stays. Safety-net hospitals might shutter, and medical debt could spiral. These cuts don’t just trim budgets—they dismantle lives. And for what? To bankroll tax cuts for the wealthy and projects that do little for everyday New Jerseyans.

Kean’s allies argue these cuts are essential to curb federal spending and fix a ‘broken’ Medicaid system. They cite studies like the Oregon Medicaid Experiment, claiming it shows limited health benefits, or point to provider taxes as state schemes to siphon federal funds. But these claims don’t hold up. The Oregon study found Medicaid boosts financial stability and mental health—critical for families on the edge. Provider taxes, meanwhile, help states stretch dollars to serve more people, not pad budgets.

Medicaid is far from broken. It covers sicker populations at lower costs than private insurance. Proposals like work requirements, favored by Kean’s supporters, would bury working parents in bureaucracy without improving outcomes. Historical cuts tell a grim story: Reagan’s 1980s reductions and 1996 welfare reforms slashed coverage, leaving millions uninsured. Kean’s vote risks repeating that harm, targeting kids, seniors, and people with disabilities to chase a false narrative of fiscal responsibility.

If Kean wants to balance budgets, he has options that don’t hurt the vulnerable. Trimming Pentagon overspending or closing tax loopholes for billionaires would save billions without endangering lives. Instead, his vote aligns with a tired playbook that punishes the poor to protect the powerful. New Jerseyans deserve leaders who see through these flimsy excuses and fight for what’s right.

New Jerseyans can still stop this disaster. Kean’s reconciliation bill faces a House floor vote, and our state’s congressional delegation needs to hear from us. Share your story. Call your representatives. Rally at their offices. The father in Fanwood whose son needs Medicaid for asthma care deserves a voice. The senior in Netcong battling heart disease needs advocates. Together, we can halt these cuts and protect our communities.

This battle is about more than Medicaid—it’s about whether healthcare remains a right for all. Since 1965, Medicaid has slashed poverty and uninsured rates, building a stronger, fairer America. Kean’s vote threatens to unravel that legacy, but we have the power to push back. By demanding compassion and accountability, we can remind our leaders who they serve.

Kean chose party loyalty over New Jersey’s families. That decision will echo in the lives of those who lose care, and we won’t let it go unanswered. Will our representatives stand with the people of Mountainside, Flemington, and beyond? The answer depends on our resolve. Let’s show Kean and his allies that New Jersey fights for its own.