CBS Evening News explains how GOP's “One Big Beautiful Bill” would harm North Carolina families
CBS correspondent Skyler Henry: “With Republicans in Congress proposing major cuts to Medicaid funding in the so-called one Big Beautiful Bill Act, states including North Carolina could see more than 600,000 people lose their coverage”
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From the June 30, 2025, edition of CBS Evening News
JOHN DICKERSON (ANCHOR): The U.S. Senate spent the day negotiating the Republican Party's domestic policy bill, which will affect nearly every part of American life. The centerpiece would extend the tax cuts passed in 2017 and, as you see here, those tax cuts are most of the price tag. To help pay for those cuts and spending on immigration and defense, the bill would make deep reductions in federal programs. The largest one? Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that provides health insurance for 70 million low-income Americans.
The proposed Medicaid cuts fall into two main categories, eligible recipients who have no children or children over 14 would be required to either work, volunteer, or study 80 hours a month to get benefits. And the second part, biggest savings, would come from cutting a portion of federal money the states get to pay for Medicaid. Republicans claim states have been getting more money than they need to cover patients. But, as Skyler Henry reports, if cuts go through, states will have to do more with less, trimming or eliminating programs they rely on.
SKYLER HENRY (CORRESPONDENT): Each hop is no small feat for 6-year-old Kennedy Beaver. Her mom Marilyn says she's been in therapy sessions like this at least two times a week. Kennedy was diagnosed with Noonan syndrome. It's a genetic condition that stunts development.
MARILYN BEAVER (PARENT): For her it's short stature, poor growth, low muscle tone. With that, we became eligible for something called the CAP/C waiver through Medicaid.
HENRY: North Carolina's CAP/C program pays for most of the treatments and medications for children through age 20 who have significant medical needs.
If they didn't have CAP/C, the Beavers say they would be paying more than $4,000 a month, even with help from their private insurance.
BEAVER: This is our medication that, without the Medicaid coverage, would be $3,200 a month because our primary insurance has denied us.
HENRY: With Republicans in Congress proposing major cuts to Medicaid funding in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, states including North Carolina could see more than 600,000 people lose their coverage.
JAY LUDLAM (DEPUTY SECRETARY, NC MEDICAID): The cuts being proposed at the federal level at some point affect the entire program.
HENRY: Jay Ludlam is with North Carolina's Medicaid, overseeing more than 3 million people that receive benefits. State officials told us if federal funding falls short, the CAP/C program could be on the chopping block.
LUDLAM: When you take $700 billion out of Medicaid nationally, there's no way to really do that without people losing coverage.
HENRY: If you had an opportunity to speak with the lawmakers, what would you tell them?
BEAVER: If you want to fix it let's fix it, but it's not in cutting services, it's in fixing a health care system so that everybody in the country can get a level of care that meets their needs.
HENRY: The Beavers fear that if the proposals on Capitol Hill were to become law then they may have to go back to rationing Kennedy's treatments altogether.
DICKERSON: Skyler Henry, thank you.