In 2025 Dan Sullivan voted against several chances to stop the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Medicaid cuts to older Americans, including a point of order against cuts that take away health care from seniors, including those receiving care in nursing homes and a motion to remove provisions that would close nursing homes. Then, on July 1, 2025, he voted for the law, which passed only with the Vice President's tie-breaking vote; KFF says its Medicaid cuts could affect the 22 million people ages 50 and older on Medicaid.
Sullivan voted to confirm Mehmet Oz, whose agency repealed the nursing home minimum staffing standards, and in July 2026 he voted against taking up a resolution to end Medicare's new prior-authorization pilot. In Alaska, Medicaid is the main payer for most nursing-home residents.
Dan Sullivan's Votes and Silence on Nursing Homes, Home Care and Seniors' Health
- Sullivan Cast One of the 50 Votes for Medicaid Cuts That Reach Older Americans, in July 2025. On July 1, 2025, Dan Sullivan voted for H.R. 1, which passed 50 to 50 with the Vice President breaking the tie, so it would have failed without his vote. KFF estimates the law's limits on provider taxes and state-directed payments, which help pay for nursing-home care, account for $340 billion in reduced federal Medicaid spending over ten years. Medicaid pays for almost 70% of all home care spending in the U.S., nearly all of which is provided through optional services, which the Bipartisan Policy Center says makes these programs more vulnerable to reductions during periods of state or federal budget constraints.
- Sullivan Voted Against a Rule Protecting Seniors in Nursing Homes From Medicaid Cuts in February 2025. On February 20, 2025, Sullivan voted no on waiving the budget rules for Senator Tammy Baldwin's point of order against legislation that would take away health care from seniors, including those in nursing homes, through cuts to Medicaid. It failed 48 to 52. Medicaid is the primary payer for 63% of nursing facility residents nationally.
- Sullivan Voted Against Removing Provisions That Would Close Nursing Homes in June 2025. On June 30, 2025, Sullivan voted no on Senator Jack Reed's motion to send H.R. 1 back to committee with changes that would eliminate any provisions that would lead to any nursing home closures. It failed 48 to 52. The same night he voted no on Senator Ron Wyden's motion to strike every Medicaid cut in the bill, the cuts that fund much of nursing-home and home care.
- Sullivan Voted Against Protecting Family Caregivers and Seniors' Medicaid in April 2025; One Vote Decided It. On April 5, 2025, Sullivan voted no on an amendment for a reserve fund "to prevent increased barriers to American caregivers, including individuals caring for seniors, children, home care workers"; it failed 49 to 50, so a yes vote from Sullivan would have adopted it. The day before, he voted no on a reserve fund to prevent cuts in enrollment or benefits for Medicaid enrollees, including seniors; it failed 48 to 51. The budget plan went forward without either protection, and the law that followed cut federal Medicaid by an estimated $911 billion.
- Sullivan Voted Against Repealing Six-Month Medicaid Checks in January 2026. On January 30, 2026, Sullivan voted no on Senator Bernie Sanders's amendment to repeal Section 71107 of the Act, which requires states to re-check expansion adults' eligibility every six months starting with renewals on or after December 31, 2026. It failed 49 to 51. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that provision will increase the number of people who are uninsured by 700,000 in 2034, and KFF found fewer than half of adults ages 50-64 would meet the work requirements through employment alone.
- Sullivan Voted to Confirm Mehmet Oz, Whose Agency Repealed the Nursing-Home Staffing Standard, in April 2025. On April 3, 2025, Sullivan voted to confirm Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. On December 2, 2025, his agency released an interim final rule repealing the nursing home minimum staffing standards, including 3.48 hours per resident, per day of total nurse staffing and a registered nurse on site around the clock; the repeal goes into effect 2/2/2026.
- Sullivan Voted to Keep Medicare's Prior-Authorization Pilot in July 2026. On July 16, 2026, Sullivan voted against taking up S.J.Res. 198, which would have overturned WISeR, a model that since January 2026 requires prior approval for some services in traditional Medicare in six states: New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington. The resolution died when the motion failed 46 to 50. Two vendors together denied 5,944 prior authorization requests in the first three months of the program.
- Sullivan Did Not Join Senators Asking to Restore the Staff Who Run Heating Aid, in April 2025. When Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and 11 Democratic senators asked the Department of Health and Human Services to reverse the removal of the federal staff who run the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Sullivan did not sign on to the letter (Alaska Current, April 4, 2025). The roughly two dozen federal workers who run LIHEAP had been placed on leave in the department's layoffs; in Alaska the program provides nearly $21 million in assistance to low-income families and seniors who need help with fuel and utility bills.
What Dan Sullivan's Elder-Care Votes Mean for Alaska Seniors
- Nursing homes. Medicaid is the primary payer for 71% of nursing-facility residents in Alaska, above the national share, so the law's Medicaid cuts reach most of the 749 Alaskans in nursing facilities.
- Home care waiting list. Alaska had 734 people waiting for Medicaid home and community care in 2026, and Alaska does not screen people for eligibility before they join the list.
- Heating aid. LIHEAP sends Alaska nearly $21 million a year to help low-income households and seniors pay for heating fuel and utilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dan Sullivan on Elder care
What is Dan Sullivan's record on elder care under Trump?
Dan Sullivan voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 1, 2025 after voting against motions to protect nursing homes, seniors' Medicaid and family caregivers from its cuts. He voted to confirm Mehmet Oz, whose agency repealed the nursing-home staffing standards, and in July 2026 he voted to keep Medicare's prior-authorization pilot. In April 2025 he did not sign the letter asking to restore the staff who run heating aid for seniors.
Did Dan Sullivan vote to protect nursing homes from Medicaid cuts?
No. Dan Sullivan voted on June 30, 2025 against Senator Jack Reed's motion to eliminate any provisions that would lead to any nursing home closures, and on February 20, 2025 against a point of order to protect seniors in nursing homes from Medicaid cuts. In Alaska, Medicaid is the main payer for 71% of nursing-facility residents.
What happened to the nursing-home staffing rule?
Dan Sullivan voted to confirm Mehmet Oz, whose agency repealed the federal minimum staffing standards for nursing homes in December 2025, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act he voted for bars enforcing the rule ending September 30, 2034. The Consumer Voice, an advocacy group for residents, says the rule was estimated to save 13,000 lives annually.
Last updated: 2026-10-25