School may be the only doctor some Black kids ever see

And if the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act is passed, cuts to Medicaid will result in slashed school-based health services.

- By QUINTESSA WILLIAMS Word In Black

For some kids, the school nurse is there to put a bandage on a skinned knee or check for a fever. But for a majority of Black students, too often, that nurse is the only health care provider they'll see all year. If House Republicans get their way, though, even that might disappear.

Indeed, Medicaid is the largest federal funding source for school-based health services. And with GOP lawmakers inching closer to passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the health safety net it provides students could be ripped away.

The budget bill, a cornerstone of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda, slashes at least $715 billion from Medicaid. That means school-based health services funded through Medicaid, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, mental health counseling, and behavioral health care, could be greatly reduced or eliminated entirely.