From the day the government put Medicaid on the chopping block, I’ve warned that these cuts would have serious consequences for patients, hospitals, and the communities that depend on them.

As a retired orthopedic surgeon, I cared for patients in rural Michigan for more than 35 years, many of whom relied on Medicaid to afford treatment, access to full-time caregivers, and maintain their quality of life. Now, new work requirements are creating additional barriers that threaten access to care for some of our most vulnerable patients. This, combined with restrictions on state-directed payments, will put hospitals and health systems into financial distress from which they may not recover.