Republican Senator Says 'Best Health Care Is a Job' in Response to Cuts

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Jun 03, 2025 at 4:18 AM EDT


During a debate over President Donald Trump's sweeping legislative package, known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that "the best health care is a job," according to news outlet kotatv.com.

The South Dakota senator added during Monday's discussion with other Republican lawmakers that this was because jobs can provide helpful benefits that give employees access to health care. Newsweek contacted Thune's press office outside of regular working hours via email for comment.

Why It Matters

The ongoing budget and tax debate has profound implications for American families and individuals dependent on Medicaid and other social support programs. The Republican-backed proposal aims to curb government spending with reforms that could reduce eligibility for programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), stirring fears among advocates that millions could lose essential benefits. Estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office suggested up to 10 million Americans risk losing Medicaid coverage if proposed work requirements pass.

What To Know

Thune's comments came during a conversation about the proposed changes to Medicaid. Part of the budget bill includes adapting eligibility for the program, meaning that enrollees would have to work for 80 hours a month as a minimum, unless medically exempt, in order to receive the benefit.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/republican-senator-says-best-healthcare-job-response-cuts-2080119

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Many of those gig jobs are "part time" and DON'T offer such benefits. There have been many municipalities that have attempted to require some of the small business with some minimum number of employees to offer it and paid sick leave, etc., and that has often not been able to pass.

[JBTaurus83]

1. Spoken by someone

Who receives government healthcare and a pension. Many jobs either do not provide healthcare, or provide plans with cost prohibitive deductibles.

[BComplex]

19. We, the people, need to protest the congress that, if they cut our health care, they have to cut their own.

If they don't pass decent minimum wage, we need to make sure they cut their own salaries. I'm so sick of there being two Americas...one for the "entitled" big-money-purchased representatives, and the rest of us unwashed masses.

[OrlandoDem2]

2. They want Americans to be slaves. Tying healthcare to work is wrong!

You get healthcare because you’re a living, breathing, human being. Full stop.

Fuck the corporations who want workers and only support limited healthcare for the few who have jobs that provide it.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

15. Not just slaves, but slaves to big corporations, because small businesses...

...have very small pools of workers which means much higher rates. Thune should be forced into the private insurance market to see how so many people are forced to get "healthcare."

And, you lose that employer healthcare coverage when you retire....

[twodogsbarking]

3. You know, Morons.

[twodogsbarking]

4. Look fuckwad. Go to the grocery store. Many customers can barely stand to shop. They need a cart to lean on.

It is difficult for them to even get the groceries to the car and put them in. I have helped them when I see them in need. They can't work, fuckwad.

[Vinca]

5. Get out of that nursing home bed, Grandma. You're now a grocery store bagger.

[AltairIV]

6. a suugestion

I would suggest that the speaker go out and get a real job

[markie]

8. yes

he obviously lives in a bubble

[DENVERPOPS]

22. His claim to fame

is being a hick from a piss ant state, just like the former Governor. Hell, we have neighborhoods in this region, that have a larger population than they have in the puny Red State.......when Sturgis occurs, the population of SD doubles or triples.......

[Danmel]

30. My NYC suburban county has 3x the population of South Dakota

Dick.

[DENVERPOPS]

33. South Dakota and several other states

Like Wyoming, NDakota, etc

[BootinUp]

7. Nice 25 year old dream you had there, Thune. nt

[ramapo]

9. Delusional

Guess he isn’t aware that many jobs don’t provide insurance as a benefit.

[kkmarie]

12. And most don't hire fulltime

Companies with 50 or more employees must offer health insurance (if they have it) to anyone working full time (30 hours per week is full time).
Companies with 50 or more employees hire people at part time, 29 hours or less a week. Easy work around.
I worked at our small municipality and they have always played this game. They do everything they can to avoid hiring a full time employee.
Most of the big retailers hire for part time
https://www.reuters.com/article/business/half-of-walmarts-workforce-are-part-time-workers-labour-group-idUSKCN1IQ298/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20(Reuters)%20%2D%20Part,around%2030%20percent%2C%20it%20said.

Walmart's shift towards part-time:
While Walmart continues to offer full-time positions, there has been a shift towards part-time employment in recent years. Some reports suggest this is a deliberate strategy by Walmart to reduce labor costs.

Healthcare tied to a job is ridiculous! When your employer wants to make money, they are going to cut perks for employees. So if a workplace needs to fill 2 openings they are going to fill with 3 or 4 part-time employees.

[AllaN01Bear]

10. get a real job senator

[AllaN01Bear]

11. dont u realise that many ppl on these programs DO WORK!!!!!!

[twodogsbarking]

13. Son-of-a-bitch wouldn't know how to use a shovel.

[Wiz Imp]

14. As of 2023, only 53.7% of the population is covered by employment based insurance

per the Census Bureau
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-284.html#:~:text=While%20the%20private%20coverage%20rate,to%2010.2%20percent%20in%202023.

64% of adults receiving Medicaid are employed (44% full-time, 20% part-time)
https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/understanding-the-intersection-of-medicaid-and-work-an-update/

Nearly three-quarters of adults who participate in SNAP in a typical month work either that month or within a year of that month of participation. Over half of individuals who were participating in SNAP in a typical month in mid-2012 were working in that month. Furthermore, 74 percent worked in the year before or after that month (in the 25-month period). Rates were even higher when work among other household members is counted: 81 percent of SNAP households with a non-disabled adult, and 87 percent of households with children and a non-disabled adult, included at least one member who worked in this 25-month period.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/most-working-age-snap-participants-work-but-often-in-unstable-jobs

[IronLionZion]

16. The irony is how many people with jobs don't have any health insurance or it's not covering their treatment

Claim denied! Pull your own healthcare up by the bootstraps

[Rebl2]

17. Talk about

out of touch. What minimum wage job offers healthcare. What an absolute idiot.

[Martin68]

18. I can only hope this republican and others like him will develop an untreatable debilitating disability. Of course, they

already have a serious cognitive and emotional disability, but they can function perfectly well in the MAGAverse in spite of, or because of, that.

[travelingthrulife]

20. Like all those federal workers fired by Trump and DOGE and the GOP?

[ananda]

21. That's quite a schtick. Make jobs important...

then ruin the economy so people can't get jobs
or a liveable wage... then blame them for not
getting health care.

!@#$%

[patphil]

23. The best health care is a job?

This is typical of the superficial thinking of Republicans. They assume that employment means you can to get into a company health care plan.
Not so for millions of working people.
There's either no health plan, or it's too expensive to buy into, or, if you can get it, the coverage is inadequate.
It's very easy for people who have excellent health care plans to dismiss the needs of those who can't get it.

They also assume that a lot of people who rely on Medicaid and SNAP don't really need it, and are just gaming the system. The real problem with health care in America is the Insurance Companies who've been milking the system with inflated charges, and providing plans that make it easy to deny coverage.

The only real answer is a National Health Care system that isn't profit driven.

[republianmushroom]

24. How about all congressman and senators

life long healthcare being canceled. Now I'm for that.

[0rganism]

25. Hmm, seems familiar, reminds me of something...

Ugh, it's like a nightmare come to life. Where have I seen something like this before?
...

[Diamond_Dog]

26. Cut his pay to the federal minimum wage so he can learn something for himself.

[Ferrets are Cool]

27. Stupid fuck.

[Deep State Witch]

28. And How Many People Did DOGE Just Fire?

How many Federal employees just lost their FEHB because DOGE fired them?

Besides, as other posters have said - not all employers offer health insurance. That's what the ACA was supposed to help.

[maxsolomon]

29. Textbook GOP deflection.

This is the SENATE MAJORITY LEADER. He knows who Medicaid serves and that the "undeserving poors" are a vanishingly small percentage of recipients. They avoid hard questions like the plague.

[mahina]

31. Tell that to my ex. His brain is not functioning,

He is in w wheelchair much of the time and is incontinent.

He barely knows where he is which is a mercy sometimes as he is in hospice c/o Medicaid. (He knows me though, still tries God love him.)

What job would they have him do? He couldnt even fill out the application.

He was so strong, smart, funny and mostly good…he saved thousands of lives, no hyperbole to use a Joe-ism.

Gosh we are leaning awfully hard on the Democrats to keep us from the abyss. Here we sit on the edge. Thanks Putin.

[bcbink]

32. medicare for all full stop

our representative government officials, elected and hired, deserve no better health care than the people they serve. One medicare for one nation.