Harold Rogers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Former Gov. Paul Patton appears in a campaign ad for Democrat Ned Pillersdorf that makes claims about Republican Rep. Hal Rogers’ vote on H.R. 1, the federal tax and spending law. Rogers has held the 5th District seat for more than 40 years.

In the ad, Patton introduces himself by saying, “I’m former governor Paul Patton.” Referring to Rogers, Patton says in the ad, “he voted for the big ugly bill which will eventually cut Medicaid in his district by about a billion dollars a year. He made sure that this part of the big ugly bill, which will affect healthcare in thousands of people in his district, goes into effect after this election.”

Patton was referring to H.R. 1, also called the Big Beautiful Bill. It was signed into law July 4, 2025.

Rogers was one of more than 200 Republicans in the House who voted for the law. The claim in the ad needs context.

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, an independent nonpartisan research nonprofit, said H.R. 1, combined with the state’s budget passed earlier this year, would reduce the number of people with Medicaid.

The center listed 14 counties as most vulnerable to the cuts. All 14 are in Rogers’ district.

Portions of the law affecting Medicaid work requirements and eligibility status take effect at the end of this year.

WKYT asked Rogers about his support of H.R. 1. His communications director sent a statement that read:

“Scare tactics by liberal democrats have not proven to be true - zero hospitals have closed. In fact, several of our rural hospitals in Eastern Kentucky are expanding and adding new services and equipment. For example:

Baptist Health Corbin is adding a nearly $100 million dollar patient wing that will feature a new state-of-the-art emergency room and more intensive care rooms and a larger neonatal intensive care unit for babies. Construction is underway and progressing very well.

Last year, Governor Beshear and Congressman Rogers announced an AMLER grant for new diagnostic equipment at the CommonSpirit Saint Joseph Hospital in London.

At Pikeville Medical Center, Congressman Rogers helped secure funding to expand cancer care, build a facility for specialized autism treatment, and most recently, a childcare center for employees.

Some of our other hospitals are also expanding, like King’s Daughter’s Hospital in Ashland and the ARH Hospital in Middlesboro.

The new law also includes the largest Rural Health Transformation Fund in our nation’s history, providing nearly $213 million for Kentucky this year alone, and similar funding will be added each year over the next five years.

The new law actually protects the future of Medicaid and SNAP programs for those who need it the most, by cutting waste, fraud and abuse.

The work requirements only apply to able-bodied adults in the Medicaid expansion program, with just 80 hours per month. Volunteering and community engagement count towards those hours as well. There are also several exceptions to the work requirements, including disabled people and new mothers, as well as parents and guardians caring for children under 13, among others.

We saw the need for these measures earlier this year in Kentucky, when our State Auditor released a report finding over $830 million in wasteful spending in Kentucky’s Medicaid program – including dead people who remained on Kentucky Medicaid, multiple people using the same social security number to obtain Kentucky Medicaid, and non-eligible Kentucky residents who were receiving benefits.

Congressman Rogers voted to protect benefits for those who need them the most by cutting out the waste, fraud and abuse that robs the program." - Danielle Smoot, Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Rogers

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says those funds will not offset the projected Medicaid cuts.

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