The One Big Beautiful Bill Act: What Women Need to Know
July 7, 2025 | by Priya Elangovan
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) introduces sweeping policy changes that will impact millions of Americans – especially women. While it includes a few expansions, such as an increase to the Child Tax Credit, many of its funding cuts and new requirements will place heavier burdens on women, particularly low-income mothers, older women, and caregivers. Here’s what you need to know.
Tax Changes
One of the provisions of the bill is the permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $2,200 per child. This was a widely supported provision that would provide some financial benefit to the women and families.
The bill also eliminates federal income taxes on tipped wages, which could boost take-home pay for millions of workers in restaurants and other service jobs. Women make up the majority of tipped workers, so this change may help many women see slightly higher paychecks. However, it does not address challenges faced by tipped workers, such as low base pay and unpredictable hours.
A short-term benefit for senior women is the increase in the tax deduction for social security from 2025 to 2028. The $6,000 increased deduction for individuals and the $12,000 increased deduction for couples will mean that about 88% of Seniors will pay no federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits.
Major Changes to Health Care Access
OBBBA includes nearly $800 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid and introduces new work requirements for Medicaid eligibility. Starting in 2029, individuals will be required to demonstrate that they have worked, volunteered, or attended school or job training for at least 80 hours per month to maintain their coverage.
Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation show that about two-thirds of Medicaid recipients who are not older or disabled are already working. However, the new reporting rules could create barriers for women with informal or part-time jobs. It could also significantly impact those providing unpaid care for children or aging family members — a group that includes about 12% of Medicaid enrollees, or roughly 3 million people.
Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and the Kaiser Family Foundation suggest that between 8 and 12 million people could lose their Medicaid coverage by 2034 due to these changes. Women currently make up 55% of all Medicaid recipients, meaning they will bear the brunt of these losses.
In addition to cuts to Medicaid, the bill reduces federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of pregnant people, not just children. It also ends tax credits under the Affordable Care Act that help many families afford private insurance.
The bill further prevents reproductive health clinics that provide abortion services, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funding for any services, including non-abortion care like cancer screenings, STI testing, and prenatal care. Millions of women rely on these clinics as their primary source of reproductive and preventive health care.
Stricter SNAP Rules and Funding Cuts
The bill also tightens eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It extends work requirements to older adults and parents with older children; currently, individuals over 50 and parents with children under 18 are largely exempt from these requirements.
Starting in 2028, changes to the federal funding formula will shift more of the program’s costs to individual states. If states cannot fill the gap, some may reduce benefits or limit access to them. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 3 to 3.5 million fewer people could receive SNAP benefits each month as a result. Because women make up the majority of adult SNAP recipients, they stand to lose the most.
What These Changes Mean for Women
Taken together, these policy changes could hit women and families hardest — especially older women, single mothers, and women living in rural or low-income communities. The impacts will also vary widely from state to state. States that expanded Medicaid or rely heavily on federal funding for SNAP may see larger gaps to fill when funding rules change.
Why Your Voice Still Matters
Although the bill has passed, there is still time to speak out. States have the next few years to decide how they will respond to the funding changes and new requirements. Programs like Medicaid and SNAP are federally funded but state-administered, which gives state leaders significant power over how they operate.
Sharing your story with your federal and state elected officials can help shape how your state handles these changes. Tell them what affordable health care and nutrition programs mean to you, your family, and your community.
Sources
https://www.kff.org/medicaid/state-indicator/medicaid-enrollees-by-sex/
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61461
https://19thnews.org/2025/05/medicaid-work-requirements-women-impact
