A new medical drama has received praise from audiences for its ‘realistic’ portrayal and plans to highlight the consequences of President Donald Trump’s healthcare legislation, dubbed the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ in its upcoming second season.
The 79-year-old president was a key proponent of the law, which sparked a public disagreement with Elon Musk. While the bill provides tax cuts for affluent Americans, it simultaneously reduces funding for Medicaid.
Medicaid is the nation’s largest provider of medical and health-related services to low-income individuals, and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, approximately 12 million people could lose health insurance as a result.
In response to this, the creators of The Pitt, which premiered on MAX in January, have announced their intention to explore how Trump’s policy will affect emergency rooms across the country in the show’s second season.
“The Medicaid changes are going to have a significant impact, and you don’t have to take a political position to discuss what the impact is actually going to be,” executive producer John Wells explained to Variety.
“I don’t want to have an argument about whether or not they’re appropriate, what Congress did or didn’t do. But they’re going to have on-the-ground, immediate consequences in emergency rooms, and nobody’s arguing with that.”
He continued by highlighting that even Republican senators, like Josh Hawley from Missouri, acknowledge the potential problems this bill could cause.
Wells also pointed out that this is not the first time a government has attempted to cut funding from the healthcare sector.
He stated: “It was frankly – again, not trying to be political – but they were disastrous in the two states [Arkansas and Georgia] that tried it, and they backed out of it and stopped doing it. So, we have a lot of people to call on to ask what’s likely to happen.”
R. Scott Gemmill, another executive producer on the show, added: “When people have less finances from the government to help them with their healthcare, they’re going to get less healthcare, and that means they’re going to end up in the only place where they can get free healthcare, which is the ER.”
“So the ER is just going to get busier and busier and become more of a safety net, and it’s already broken, so the system is destined for a tipping point.”
Fans of the series have expressed their admiration for its portrayal of medical environments. One viewer shared their thoughts on Reddit after watching the first two episodes.
“I just finished episodes one and two of this slice of life, urban medical drama, and I loved its chaotic complexity,” the user wrote.
“The dynamic between departments and the whole human condition was thoughtful, and the medical accuracy was really impressive.”
Another fan praised the show as the ‘most realistic’ they have encountered.
“I work in an ER–It’s the most realistic portrayal of an ER I’ve ever seen (taking crown from ER season 1), right down to the burned out doctors & nurses doing their best is a broken system that neglects them and their patients,” they commented.