House Republicans are moving forward with a bill that calls for $880 billion in spending cuts.
President Donald Trump has ruled out cutting funding to Medicare and Social Security, leading many Democrats to believe that Medicaid could be impacted.
Medicaid covers medical costs for about 80 million low-income Americans.
Avenel Joseph, interim executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an organization that advocates for health equity, warns that cuts to Medicaid could have severe consequences.
"Gutting a program, as has been proposed, would be the difference between life and death for many of those Medicaid recipients," Joseph told Scripps News.
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Republicans have said that their goal is to eliminate wasteful spending. Joseph says there are some inefficiencies within the bureaucratic aspect of the program, but contends the health care aspect of the program is "incredibly efficient."
She also warns that cuts to Medicaid could impact those who have private health insurance.
"As you have more uninsured Americans who are getting care that is uncompensated in the system, that system then passes on those costs to people who can pay," Joseph said.
Watch more of Joseph's interview with Scripps News in the video above.
