Hidden Cuts to Health Care episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 21, 2026 · 12 MIN

Hidden Cuts to Health Care

from Letters from an American · host Heather Cox Richardson

August 20, 2026Republicans are trying to hide the cuts they have made to health care in the US, Republicans are working to undo the progress made with the Affordable Care Act, The work requirement they have imposed on the ACA is really a paperwork requirement, Up to 15 million people are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, In 1883 sociologist Wiliiam Graham Sumner published an influential book that concluded that citizens owe nothing to each other, Those succeeding in the industrializing economy agreed, The Trump administration appears to embrace the belief that the nation depends upon the survival of the fittest, Robert F Kennedy’s beliefs about vaccines seem to align with that idea, The US is experiencing a wave of foodborne illnesses, The administration cut back mandatory tracking of eight pathogens that had been covered by FoodNet before the administration cut six of them, The leadership positions at the CDC and FDA are vacant and need to be filled, Keeping government out of society undermined public health and safety in the past, Middle class Americans demanded regulation of the food and drug industry, ushering in reforms. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 21, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Hidden Cuts to Health Care

0:00 12:40

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Letters from an American?

This episode is 12 minutes long.

When was this Letters from an American episode published?

This episode was published on August 21, 2026.

Can I download this Letters from an American episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!