From grocery store budgets to hospital visits, a new federal bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4 could affect every corner of women’s lives—especially for those raising children, working hourly jobs, or juggling caregiving responsibilities.
“This bill… amounts to what is effectively a partial repeal of the ACA,” said Larry Levitt of KFF. “The scale of the change to the healthcare system is staggering.”
Under the law, new Medicaid work requirements, income reporting rules, and premium paybacks will kick in. “4.8 million people are expected to lose health coverage,” Levitt explained. “Primarily because they fail to navigate the reporting process and the red tape.”
Even lawfully present immigrants will lose access. “These are not undocumented immigrants… these are lawfully present immigrants,” Levitt emphasized. “Including those with temporary protected status, refugees, or asylees.”
Women and mothers working in tipped industries or part-time jobs may also feel the squeeze. The bill includes new tax credits—but only for some.
“There is a no-tax-on-tips… and overtime provision,” said Natasha Sarin of Yale. “But it’s not what it sounds like. You can deduct up to $25,000 on tips, $12,500 on overtime—but only if you’re under the income limit and meet job qualifications.”
Sarin also noted that the child tax credit changes won’t benefit the poorest families. “The credit isn’t refundable… so the very lowest income Americans… do not get the full benefit, or any benefit,” she explained.
Overall, Sarin warned that the cost of living will rise: “Mortgage rates… small business loans… car loans, student loans—basically any type of borrowing… has been impacted by this legislation and pushed up.”
Bill McKibben, a leading environmentalist, said the bill will also hit families hard through delayed clean energy investments.
“Families will be paying hundreds of dollars a year more in electric bills,” he said, noting that support for renewable energy was cut. “The tax credit for electric vehicles expires as early as the end of September.”
McKibben emphasized the gender and racial justice implications, too. “Every time there’s a flood, we find out who gets to live in the river bottom,” he said. “The effects of climate change… fall hardest on the poorest communities.”
Levitt added that we may not see the full impact right away, but it’s coming. “We’re not all going to wake up one morning and find millions more people uninsured,” he said. “The changes… are going to roll out bit by bit over the next decade.”
