Cantwell Hears From Healthcare Providers in Wenatchee: Medicaid Cuts Would be Devastating
Cantwell continues tour of WA to fight back against proposed Medicaid cuts; Cantwell reports highlight impacts to WA State health care if GOP cuts Medicaid to pay for lower taxes for the ultra-wealthy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, heard from health care providers in the Wenatchee Valley about the dangers of cuts to Medicaid being considered by Republican lawmakers.
At an April 17 roundtable hosted by U.S. Representative Kim Schrier (D, WA-08) and joined by Sen. Cantwell, health care providers warned that such cuts would devastate the region’s health care system and limit access to lifesaving care.
Cutting Medicaid, Sen. Cantwell said, "affects the programs, then affects the hospital, then it affects the workforce, then you end up with shortages, then you end up with deserts. Then you end up with, 'Who wants to have a business there?' It keeps cascading," Sen. Cantwell said. "This is a crazy idea. This is not a sledge hammer -- this is like a ticking time bomb that's blowing up the foundation of the system. And we have to take your stories and go back [to D.C.] and convince these people that it's not even worth thinking about."
Wenatchee marked the fourth stop in Sen. Cantwell’s tour around the state to hear from folks who would be directly impacted by cuts to Medicare. Last month, Sen. Cantwell heard from voices across Washington state about the dangers of President Trump and the GOP’s proposed cuts to Medicaid. Doctors, patients, and health care providers in Seattle, Spokane, and the Tri-Cities warned that such cuts would devastate Washington state’s health care system and limit access to lifesaving care.
WATCH:
FOX 13 Seattle: WA health leaders join Sen. Cantwell against proposed Medicaid cuts
KREM 2 Spokane: Spokane doctors, patients speak at Medicaid roundtable hosted by Sen. Cantwell
In February, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report highlighting the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on Washington state's health care system -- especially in Central and Eastern Washington. In March, Sen. Cantwell released a second snapshot report highlighting impacts on the Seattle-area health care delivery system.
READ MORE:
The Seattle Times: Cuts to Medicaid would hurt WA’s children, poor
Medicaid is the federal program that insures many low-income adults and children, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities. Washington state's Medicaid program, Apple Health, ensures that eligible Washingtonians can afford to seek health care and see providers when they need to. The program also ensures that hospitals -- which are required to treat everyone, regardless of their ability to pay -- receive reimbursements for the significant number of low-income people they serve. Over 1.9 million Washingtonians are enrolled in Apple Health.
The House of Representatives has passed a budget resolution that would necessitate $880 billion in cuts from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid. Supporters of the bill claim that the text includes no mention of Medicaid -- however, the extent of the cuts required by the legislation would mean that the committee has essentially no other options other than to hack away at Medicaid.
Video of yesterday’s roundtable in Wenatchee is HERE; photos are HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s opening and closing remarks are HERE.
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