WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was talking about healthy eating on a farm in Michigan, as part of a national tour he’s taking to promote his Make America Healthy Again agenda, when two hecklers demanded to know why the Trump administration was cutting Medicaid.

We aren’t cutting Medicaid, he responded. That’s just a “myth people believe,” he said.

But in Michigan and other battleground states the administration hopes to win over come the November midterms, state officials and Medicaid advocates are bracing for changes to Medicaid that will significantly alter enrollment rates and eligibility. And despite what the administration says, health policy experts say those changes will force people off the program and slow growth in Medicaid over time.

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — plus daily intelligence on Capitol Hill and the life sciences industry — by subscribing to STAT+.

Already have an account? Log in