During the 1970s and 1980s, Ronald Reagan and other Republicans highlighted what they called “welfare queens” to argue for cuts in social spending, depicting unscrupulous women exploiting the system for personal gain.
Now, as they push for Medicaid cuts, congressional Republicans have shifted their focus to another supposed problem: an idle young male gamer who is at home playing video games, supposedly at the expense of deserving individuals who need health care.
While the imagery has evolved, the Republican strategy remains unchanged. By broadly generalizing about who might wrongly receive federal benefits, they frame the idea of budget cuts as righteous rather than mean-spirited.
As a strict work requirement for Medicaid and other cost-cutting strategies become major points of discussion in their extensive domestic policy bill, Republicans downplay the negative effects on American citizens who depend on the health care program for low-income individuals. They assert that no one truly in need will lose their benefits.
To support their argument, they claim that eliminating Medicaid recipients they label as lazy or undocumented could save billions without impacting the assistance provided to those genuinely in need. Their stance is that significant savings can be achieved by targeting waste, fraud, and abuse.
“You don’t want able-bodied individuals on a program meant for single mothers with children struggling to get by,” Speaker Mike Johnson stated on CNN in February as he laid the groundwork for the Medicaid cuts. “That’s what Medicaid is designed for, not for 29-year-old men lounging around gaming.”
Representative Lauren Boebert from Colorado echoed similar sentiments about the so-called couch potato culture.
“If you can work in America, you shouldn’t be at home playing video games while collecting a check,” she remarked last month after a meeting with President Trump regarding the legislation.
However, many Republicans, Democrats, and data analysts point out that the majority of Medicaid recipients are already employed. Critics argue that even if there were indeed many loafing gamers, cutting them from Medicaid wouldn’t yield substantial savings, as they tend not to utilize health services much.
“They’re not on Medicaid due to laziness,” stated Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, about his 1.3 million constituents currently enrolled in the program. “They’re on Medicaid because they can’t afford private health insurance.”
Proponents of the cuts within the Republican Party argue their position is supported by a recent analysis from the American Enterprise Institute. Using data from the American Time Use Survey and Current Population Survey, the report speculated that able-bodied Medicaid recipients who don’t work spend around 4.2 hours a day on TV or gaming, their second most frequent activity after sleeping. In contrast, working Medicaid recipients averaged about 2.7 hours of such leisure time.
The speaker’s office stated this evidence supported Mr. Johnson’s claim that some recipients were abusing the system while gaming at home.
“The next time a Democrat makes misleading comments about ‘Medicaid cuts,’ just remember they are suggesting they want illegal immigrants and able-bodied adults gaming at home to keep taking resources away from those in true need,” said a release from the speaker’s office.
However, a new analysis from the Brookings Institution raised concerns about the potential effects of the new House-approved work requirement, which would mandate that childless adults without physical disabilities prove they have either worked, volunteered, or attended school for at least 80 hours in the month preceding Medicaid enrollment.
Even if these new requirements were enacted, the analysis indicated that the savings could be minimal. The 4.3 million individuals on Medicaid lacking activity limits were noted to have the lowest average spending, with 40 percent not utilizing medical services at all. The authors indicated that only about 300,000 beneficiaries reported they didn’t work simply due to a lack of interest in employment.
“Speaker Johnson’s stereotypical image of young men gaming in basements is less common than he believes, and this group doesn’t generally require many health services,” stated the Brookings report, authored by Sherry Glied and Dong Ding. “Removing this group from Medicaid would lead to only modest federal savings, far lower than necessary to cover a substantial portion of the bill’s tax cuts,” they added.
Democrats argue that Republicans are fully aware that millions of Medicaid beneficiaries are not spending all day at home gaming while cashing in on a program for which eligibility is based on low income. They assert that Republicans are misrepresenting the facts to pursue savings for tax cuts in their legislation.
“They’re just determined to save money and realize there’s a lot of cash to be recouped by cutting welfare,” stated Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii. “Thus, they have to conjure an image of an undeserving individual.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, added that Republicans are attempting to label healthcare as mere charity, rather than a necessity that can enhance societal productivity.
“We’re sliding back into the old ‘welfare queen’ rhetoric, which I believe is harmful,” he noted.
During Reagan’s presidential campaign in 1976, he frequently referenced a Chicago woman who allegedly exploited the welfare system using various names and deceitful methods. This portrayal of widespread corruption was aimed at fostering anger and resentment among working voters.
Although claims of rampant abuse of the welfare system were debunked early on, the perception has endured for decades, reappearing in political and policy discussions. For instance, during the COVID pandemic, when Congress increased unemployment benefits, conservatives expressed concerns that the extra payments would encourage those already reluctant to work to remain at home.
Mr. Johnson and others have accused able-bodied unemployed Americans of “cheating” the system by receiving Medicaid benefits while capable of working, despite the fact that the expansion of Medicaid in numerous states under the Affordable Care Act allows coverage to those who meet low-income criteria without needing to work.
“If you can work but choose not to, you’re defrauding the system,” Mr. Johnson stated on CBS’s “Face the Nation” in late May. He emphasized that there is a “moral aspect” to the Republican initiative to enforce work requirements for Medicaid recipients, suggesting it would bring dignity to those entering the workforce.
The Brookings analysis indicated that many individuals without jobs might be exempt from new stipulations due to factors like family caregiving. It foresaw unintended effects, such as deterring those who genuinely need Medicaid from qualifying due to complex paperwork demands.
“Past attempts to clearly differentiate between deserving applicants and those gaming the system have proven both ineffective and highly administratively burdensome,” the report remarked. “Medicaid work requirements simply do not function in the expected manner that their advocates believe,” the analysis concluded.
Robert Jimison contributed reporting.
