News

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Peter Welch, U.S. Representatives James E. Clyburn, Jan Schakowsky, Gwen Moore, Steve Cohen, Hank Johnson, Judy Chu, Nanette Barragán, Steven Horsford, Shontel Brown, Don Davis, and Dan Goldman Headline Events Across the Nation.

April was the fifth annual Medicaid Awareness Month, and Protect Our Care hosted nationwide events to recognize the crucial role Medicaid plays in Americans’ health care and highlight how recent Republican attacks come at a time when more Americans are relying on the program than ever before. A record 92 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, which provides affordable care to people from all backgrounds, especially people with disabilities, people with mental health and substance use disorders, children, pregnant women, seniors in nursing homes, rural Americans, and people of color. But Republicans haven’t stopped their attacks, they just passed their extreme “Default on America” Act attempting to rip away health care for 21 million people who rely on Medicaid, and cutting critical health programs by 22 percent. Medicaid has strengthened local economies, provided Americans with access to quality, affordable health care, and improved health outcomes across the country.

Throughout the month, Protect Our Care also released a series of fact sheets on how Medicaid is a lifeline for women and children, communities of color, and rural Americans, as well as fact sheets covering states’ unwinding process,  Republican threats to Medicaid, and the “Default on America” Act.

Medicaid Awareness Month 2023 included the following theme weeks:

• Week 1: Republican threats to Medicaid. Week one focused on how Republicans are actively seeking cuts to Medicaid while GOP leaders in 10 states continue to block Medicaid expansion. 
• Week 2: Medicaid helps women and kids. Week two brought attention to the vital role of Medicaid for mothers and children across the country. 
• Week 3: Medicaid helps people of color and rural Americans. Week three highlighted how Medicaid is a critical tool to expand access to coverage, which together with policies that address other social and structural determinants of health, narrow stark disparities in health care, improve families’ financial security, and make people healthier.
• Week 4: Medicaid helps seniors and people with disabilities. The final week focused on how Medicaid helps seniors and people with disabilities access lifesaving care.

NATIONAL

Monday, March 20 — U.S. Representatives and Tri-Caucus Chairs Nanette Barragán, Judy Chu, and Steven Horsford, joined civil rights leaders and Protect Our Care for a press conference releasing a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling for state and federal action to keep families in America covered as Medicaid’s continuous coverage requirement ends. The letter stresses the importance of states meeting their obligations to ensure that millions of people in America do not lose critical health care coverage, and calls on HHS to clearly define and enforce states’ legal obligations. You can watch the full event here.

Coverage:

• Colorado Boulevard: Call for HHS Secretary Becerra To Protect Medicaid Coverage During “Unwinding”
• Congressional Black Caucus: Caucus Chairs Call for HHS Secretary Becerra to Protect Medicaid Coverage and Access to Health Care During “Unwinding”

Tuesday, April 11 — Democratic Women’s Caucus Communications Task Force Co-Chairs Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) and Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), and President of the National Partnership for Women & Families Jocelyn Frye joined Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss the ways Medicaid helps women and children across the nation stay healthy. U.S. Representative Shontel Brown (D-OH-11) said, “Women of color consistently experience higher maternal mortality rates than white women primarily due to the intersection of multiple socio-economic factors, including generations of health inequities, and quite simply, institutional and structural racism. Expanding Medicaid and closing the coverage gap is a key element to improving maternal and reproductive health, especially for women of color.” You can watch the full event here.

Coverage:

• Bloomberg Law: House Democrats Push Back on GOP Proposals Targeting Medicaid

Thursday, April 13 — U.S. Representatives and Co-Chairs of the Medicaid Expansion Caucus, Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), and Don Davis (D-NC-01) joined Protect Our Care for a press conference discussing the urgency for the remaining 10 non-expansion states to follow North Carolina’s lead and finish the job to extend coverage to the estimated 1.9 million Americans in the coverage gap. During the call, the speakers discussed how expansion has never been more important as states face threats of major coverage losses due to the ongoing Medicaid unwinding. You can watch the full event here.

Coverage:

• New York Amsterdam Times: Health Advocates Warn Against Medicaid “Unwinding” Process
• WNCT: Congressmen Talk About Benefits of Medicaid Expansion in NC
• 95.5 WSB: Rep. Hank Johnson Joins a Renewed Push to Expand Medicaid, Including in Georgia

Thursday, April 20 — Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn, and Joan Alker with the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy joined Protect Our Care to discuss Republicans’ radical plan to take health care away from millions of Americans. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy released the Republican plan to slash health care funding and Medicaid enrollment by imposing burdensome paperwork requirements. “The fact is Americans working in modestly-paid jobs often aren’t given affordable health care coverage by their employers,” said Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). “Sometimes they’re working two or three part-time jobs. What House Republicans are essentially asking of these people, who are already on an economic tightrope, is to go out and fill out a mountain of paperwork every single month to maintain their health care. We ought to be looking at approaches that help people get more for their health care dollar.” You can watch the full event here.

Thursday, April 27 — Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Campaigns and Advocacy at Caring Across Generations join Protect Our Care to discuss the Republicans’ ongoing threats and radical plan to cut Medicaid and take health care away from millions. The House Republicans recently passed the Republican plan which imposes cuts in key programs, including slashing health care and other vital discretionary funding and taking Medicaid away from millions by imposing burdensome paperwork requirements in exchange for not defaulting on the nation’s debt. You can watch the full event here.

ARIZONA

Monday, April 3 — PHE Medicaid Unwinding Event with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Governor Katie Hobbs, and Arizona Health Care Advocates: Secretary Becerra virtually joined a panel of Arizona health leaders at Ability 360 to discuss efforts to expand access to quality health care, strengthen Medicaid, and promote equity. Additionally, on site, Navigators were available  to update contact information for community attendees. “Because we know from many people who have never had insurance, or never known that they have access to insurance through programs like Medicaid, that oftentimes they don’t know how to navigate the system, they don’t know what they’re entitled to. And they end up not getting the coverage even though they could,” said Secretary Becerra.

Coverage:

• ABC15: Thousands in AZ Lose Medicaid Coverage
• AZ Family (CBS Channel 3 & 5): AZ Residents Losing Medicaid Coverage 
• WLOX (Mississippi): AZ Residents Losing Medicaid Coverage 
• KSAZ-PHX (FOX): Becerra Joins AZ Health Leaders to Discuss Medicaid PHE Unwinding
• KTAZ-TV (Telemundo): Becerra Joins AZ Health Leaders to Discuss Medicaid PHE Unwinding
• KTAR Radio: Becerra Joins AZ Health Leaders to Discuss Medicaid PHE Unwinding 
• NBC 12 News: Arizona Residents at Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage
• Tucson Sentinel: Arizona begins to shed thousands from Medicaid, push them to other care
• Arizona Capitol Times: State begins to shed thousands from Medicaid, push them to other care
• The Daily Courier (Prescott): Arizona begins to shed thousands from Medicaid, push them to other care
• Cronkite News: State begins to shed thousands from Medicaid, push them to other care

GEORGIA 

Tuesday, April 25 — Medicaid Awareness Month Event with HHS Regional Director Antrell Tyson, House Minority Leader James Beverly, Dr. Karen Kinsell, and Georgia Health Care Advocates: Minority Leader James Beverly, HHS Regional Director Antrell Tyson, Georgians for a Healthy Future Executive Director Laura Colbert and Dr. Karen Kinsell, a rural healthcare provider, joined Protect Our Care Georgia to highlight the value of Medicaid and access to health care for Georgians. “The GOP continues to push for reduced health care for the most marginalized members of our population including black and brown people, low-income wage earners, and the elderly. Their approach is one that strips away care from our most vulnerable citizens,” said Representative James Beverly, Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives. “Speaker McCarthy and his counterparts continue to mock democracy by underserving the people. Their health care “plan” will only burden health providers, worsening our health care crisis.” Speakers noted a similar attitude toward Medicaid playing out in Georgia, one of 10 states that hasn’t fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, choosing instead to pursue a limited expansion which includes a work requirement. “It is a myth that scores of Georgians are enrolled in Medicaid while actively choosing not to work” said Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. You can watch the event here.

Coverage:

• Capitol Beat: Georgia’s Medicaid redetermination process gets rolling 
• WABE-FM: Health Advocates Concerned Georgians Could Lose Medicaid Coverage
• Rome News Tribune: Georgia’s Medicaid redetermination process gets rolling
• WABE-FM: Groups are working to help low-income Georgians avoid losing Medicaid during ‘unwinding’

NEW YORK

Thursday, April 27 — Medicaid Awareness Month Event with Congressman Dan Goldman: Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Protect Our Care New York to highlight that House Republicans from the New York delegation voted for the “Default on America Act” legislation that rips away health care from as many as 21 million people who count on it. Congressman Goldman highlighted how Republicans, like Rep. George Santos (NY-03) and Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17), are attacking Medicaid and access to health care as more Americans are relying on the program than ever before. Medicaid has strengthened local economies, provided New Yorkers with access to quality, affordable health care, and improved health outcomes across the state. “New Yorkers need to get out there and make their voices heard and make sure that every Republican member of the New York delegation who voted for this bill has to be held accountable,” said Congressman Goldman. “They’re voting to cut veterans’ care, they’re voting to cut child care, they’re voting to cut assistance for seniors, they’re voting to cut health care, they’re voting to cut food benefits and job programs. People rely on getting these benefits and services to subsist. It’s really emblematic of where Republican’s values are.” You can watch the event here.

Coverage:

• Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Brooklyn’s Rep. Goldman Fights to Protect Medicaid Recipients

VIRGINIA

Saturday, April 15 — Health Care and Medicaid PHE Unwinding Roundtable with State Delegates and Virginia Health Care Advocates: Protect Our Care Virginia joined Virginia state legislators and the Virginia Young Democrats to host a health care roundtable on how we can move forward in our fight to protect and strengthen health care in the face of escalating attacks on vital health care programs that millions of Virginians rely on. Happening during Medicaid Awareness Month, topics this panel discussed are threats to health care access including the recent Braidwood decision that guts the Affordable Care Act’s provision guaranteeing free preventive health care for 150 million Americans, recent rulings limiting access to mifepristone, the impacts of Medicaid unwinding in Virginia, and Republicans attacks on affordable health care. You can watch the event here.

Thursday, April 27 — Medicaid PHE Unwinding Event with Delegate Mark Sickles and Virginia Health Care Advocates: Delegate Mark Sickles and health care advocates joined Protect Our Care Virginia to highlight the current threat to the health care coverage of more than 300,000 Virginians, as Medicaid begins a process called “unwinding.” This event also follows House Republicans passing legislation that rips away health care from as many as 21 million people who count on it, and speakers highlighted how Republicans in Congress are attacking Medicaid and access to health care as more Virginians are relying on the program than ever before. “This is a great challenge for America, not just Virginians, who deal with this unwinding after the public health emergency,” said Delegate Mark Sickles, the former Chair of the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee in the Virginia House of Delegates. “We need to make sure we are spending this money [for Medicaid] effectively, efficiently and get as close to universal coverage as we can, under this system we have now. So that is what we are working to do.” You can watch the event here.

Coverage:

• Blue Virginia: Video: Delegate Sickles, Health Advocates Discuss Medicaid Unwinding and GOP’s Ongoing Threats following House Passage of Legislation to Take Away Health Care
• Dogwood: House GOP Passes Bill That Would Take Food and Healthcare From Virginia Families
• Cape Charles Mirror (an outlet on the Eastern Shore of Virginia) Medicaid’s impact on rural Americans
• WVTF: Advocates worry thousands of Virginians could lose health insurance as pandemic rules come to an end
• Virginian-Pilot: An estimated 350,000 people will lose Medicaid coverage as Virginia resumes eligibility review

PENNSYLVANIA

Tuesday, April 26 — Morning Call Op-Ed on Medicaid by Action Together NEPA’s Kristin Volchansky on Medicaid: Protect Our Care Pennsylvania placed an opinion piece in the Morning Call by Kristin Volchansky, an advocate with Action Together NEPA, speaking out against proposed Medicaid cuts and the need to expand the program. “April is Medicaid Awareness Month, and while Medicaid provides access to care and financial security to more Americans than ever before, Republicans in Congress are threatening Medicaid by seeking severe cuts in budget negotiations. They are trying to impose burdensome paperwork requirements that could result in people losing coverage even when they are still eligible. Millions of people — seniors, people with behavioral health issues, people with disabilities, moms, children and so many more who rely on this program — could see their health care ripped away under the GOP plan,” Volchansky writes. You can read the full op-ed here.

WISCONSIN

Monday, April 17 — As Goes Wisconsin Radio Show with Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez, North Carolina State Representative Sarah Crawford, and Protect Our Care Wisconsin: Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez was joined on As Goes Wisconsin by North Carolina State Representative Sarah Crawford to discuss the importance of expanding Medicaid, and highlight lessons from the North Carolina state legislature, which recently approved Medicaid expansion, extending affordable health care to 600,000 North Carolinians. Lieutenant Governor Rodriguez highlighted how Wisconsin could bring $4 billion into the state by expanding BadgerCare, money that Republican lawmakers continue to leave on the table, despite overwhelming support for expansion.”The vast majority of Wisconsinites want us to expand BadgerCare – that includes Democrats and Republicans. We should be doing what the people of Wisconsin want, and that is expanding BadgerCare. It’s time to bring those federal dollars home.” You can listen to this segment of As Goes Wisconsin here. 

Thursday, April 27— Medicaid Awareness Month Event with Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and Wisconsin Health Care Advocates: Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez joined Protect Our Care Wisconsin for a roundtable discussion to highlight the value of Medicaid and access to health care for Wisconsinites. Speakers callED on state Republicans to finally fully expand Medicaid to bring billions of our tax dollars back to the state and provide an additional 90,000 Wisconsinites with access to quality, affordable health coverage. “It’s long past time for Wisconsin to finally take a leap forward and expand BadgerCare,” said Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez. “Expanding BadgerCare would not only provide healthcare coverage to nearly 90,000 Wisconsinites, including about 30,000 who are currently uninsured, but it would also help us draw down more than $2 BILLION in federal funding and save our state more than $1.6 BILLION over the biennium.” You can watch the event here.

Coverage:

• UpNorthNews: House GOP Passes Bill That Would Take Food and Healthcare From Wisconsin Families

Watch the Full Event Here

Washington, DC – Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), joined Caring Across Generations’ Nicole Jorwic and Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss the Republicans’ ongoing threats and radical plan to cut Medicaid and take health care away from millions. The House Republicans recently passed the Republican plan which imposes cuts in key programs, including slashing health care and other vital discretionary funding and taking Medicaid away from millions by imposing burdensome paperwork requirements in exchange for not defaulting on the nation’s debt. Read more about how Republicans are demanding health care cuts here. 

A record 92 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, which provides affordable care to people from all backgrounds. President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working tirelessly to protect Medicaid from GOP attacks and strengthen the program to ensure everyone has the health care they need. April marks the 5th annual Medicaid Awareness Month.

“Medicaid offers essential health coverage to Vermonters who otherwise couldn’t afford health care,” said Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). “The House GOP’s debt plan to attach work requirements to Medicaid would kick thousands off of their health insurance. It would be absolutely detrimental to those who need access to essential care, including seniors and people living with disabilities. I’m thankful for the advocacy work of Protect our Care and Caring Across Generations, and will continue to stand up and protect Medicaid from these misguided cuts.”

“We’re talking about 92 million Americans right now who are enrolled in Medicaid and this is a lifeline for so many people,” said Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09). “Cruelty seems to be the point of these work requirements and in what they did yesterday when they decided to hold our economy hostage and cut the most important benefits. We need to protect our care, we need to protect Medicaid. We have to fight back against these terrible cuts. I do believe that when we fight, we win.”

“I’m frankly pretty upset that we have to be here again because one party continues to go to the Medicaid program to get it to pay for things that help the wealthy corporations or gut the ACA while harming people that I love,” said Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Campaigns and Advocacy at Caring Across Generations. “This no good, very bad, ‘Live Grow Save’ bill moves to slash support for Medicaid by over $110 billion dollars by imposing work requirements that are certainly a solution in search of a problem because over 70% of Medicaid beneficiaries are working and the majority of the rest of them are providing care. We shouldn’t have to keep fighting against cuts to these programs at a time when we need to be expanding them.”

“I have been on Medicaid, home and community based services since I was 18,” said Jyll Allen, a patient storyteller from Vermont. “Now Vermont Medicaid and its program called Flexible Choices provide me funding with which to hire my own caregivers. Any cuts to Medicaid really really scare me because the Medicaid home- and community-based waiver has allowed me to be in the community and to access the community as much as I do. I fear that I could lose access to a lot of services that I need and my quality of life would plummet.”

“Republicans should be ashamed that they are more willing to default on the nation’s debt than guarantee affordable health care for families across America,” said Protect Our Care Communications Director Anne Shoup. “Imposing these burdensome paperwork requirements will result in as many as 21 million people losing their health care, throwing patients and hospitals and other providers into chaos as they are forced to pick up the tab. This default bill not only attempts to rip away health care for millions of people who rely on Medicaid, but it also cuts critical health programs by 22 percent. The Republicans have one goal in mind with this legislation: rip away benefits and deny people access to health care.”

New Rules Come As Republicans Passed Bill to Rip Away Medicaid Coverage From 21+ Million Americans

Washington, DC — Today, CMS issued two new rules to strengthen access to care for millions of people who depend on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Together, the two new rules would ensure the 92 million adults and children who rely on Medicaid have meaningful access to health care services including primary care, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, and OB/GYN care by establishing national standards for the time patients must wait to see a provider and the distance they must travel. This and other policy changes will expand access to affordable care, address disparities, and ensure value for taxpayer money in the Medicaid program. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“The Biden-Harris administration’s new rules will improve access to care for the 54 percent of children in America who rely on Medicaid and CHIP, and for the 92 million people who depend on Medicaid. The contrast could not be clearer: while Republicans are passing harmful legislation to slash vital programs and throw people off of their health care, President Biden is working to strengthen Medicaid for families across America.” 

Washington, DC — House Republicans just passed their extreme “Default on America Act” which rips away health care from as many as 21 million people who count on it. Sixty percent of children with disabilities and 30% of adults with disabilities get their coverage from Medicaid. 3.2 million Americans count on Medicaid for their long-term care bills, including six in 10 nursing home residents.

From funding for veterans’ health care to nursing home safety to mental health and substance use, these cuts will take desperately needed health care away from families across the nation. In response, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“This is the most extreme attack on American health care that we’ve seen in years. These MAGA Republicans are trying to force their plan to take away Medicaid from people who count on it. The Republican plan to impose so-called work requirements alone will result in as many as 21 million people losing their health care, creating chaos for patients and for hospitals, other providers, and states who will be forced to pick up the tab. It’s shameful that the GOP would rather default on our nation’s debt than ensure that families across America have access to the affordable care they deserve.”

Washington, DC — Yesterday, the White House released a new analysis showing that 21 million Americans are at risk of losing their health care under the latest Republican plan to impose so-called work requirements for millions of people on Medicaid. Research shows the vast majority of people with Medicaid coverage who can work are already working and that applying this type of restriction only serves to throw people off the rolls due to bureaucratic hurdles and paperwork requirements. Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement: 

“The GOP debt default proposal is nothing more than a ploy to cut vital programs like Medicaid. Kevin McCarthy and Republicans in Congress have eyed cuts to Medicaid for decades, and so-called work requirements are just their latest method for kicking people off the rolls. If this draconian proposal passes, as many as 21 million people will lose their Medicaid coverage, creating chaos for families and for hospitals and states who have to pick up the tab. This plan will impose severe harm on people with disabilities, parents, rural Americans, and others who fall victim to MAGA Republicans’ ongoing war on American health care. This is an absolute non-starter.” 

• The GOP Plan Could Make It Harder For People To Meet Basic Needs. Work reporting requirements could put over 21 million Medicaid beneficiaries—nearly 1 in 3 Medicaid enrollees in expansion states—at risk of losing coverage. Millions of people in America would lose coverage if all states were required to implement Medicaid work requirements, and research suggests that work requirements could have “particular adverse effects on certain Medicaid populations, such as women, people with HIV, and adults with disabilities including those age 50 to 64.”
• Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Have A History Of Significantly Reducing Enrollment. Restricting access to Medicaid for adults reduces coverage for children who are still eligible, and requiring people on Medicaid to prove they are working adds an administrative burden that is hardest on low-income enrollees. The industries that employ the most Medicaid enrollees tend to have extremely volatile hours, threatening loss of coverage under expanded work requirements: “The two industries that employ the most Medicaid enrollees potentially subject to work requirements are restaurants/food services and construction; many enrollees also work at grocery stores, department stores, and discount stores or provide home health or child care services. These industries generally have above-average rates of involuntary part-time work, where employees want full-time work but can’t get it.”

Last week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy released a plan to change the rules and take away Medicaid coverage from millions of people who currently qualify if they fail to comply with bureaucratic work requirements. The evidence shows the vast majority of people with Medicaid coverage who can work are working, and that applying this type of restriction to non-employment programs, including Medicaid, has significant adverse impacts on health and well-being. 

Millions of people in this country count on Medicaid, especially people with disabilities, people with mental health and substance use disorders, children, pregnant women, seniors in nursing homes, rural Americans, and people of color. This latest Republican scheme would take Medicaid coverage away from those people who count on it the most and make it harder for hospitals, doctors, and other providers in rural and difficult-to-serve areas to stay afloat and stay open. Read more about how Republicans are fighting for health care cuts during Medicaid Awareness Month here.

Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: Medicaid Work Requirement Would Have Damaging Impact. “The Medicaid work reporting requirement provisions contained in Section 321 of House Speaker McCarthy’s draft debt ceiling bill released yesterday are a radical attempt to cut federal funds for Medicaid and will threaten coverage for millions of low-income people — not because people aren’t working but because they fail to jump over a whole new set of bureaucratic hurdles. The vast majority of those who can work do — 93% according to the Kaiser Family Foundation in the Medicaid expansion group are either workers, caregivers, students, or unable to work due to illness. The Speaker’s bill has it backwards – having Medicaid actually support people’s ability to work when they can get their health conditions addressed. Taking it away will only make it harder for them to work.” [Georgetown University, 4/20/23]

Over 30 Patient Groups Including the American Lung Association: This Legislation is a Clear Attack on Quality and Affordable Healthcare. “To be clear: these requirements are not about work, they are about paperwork, and otherwise-eligible patients will lose coverage when they get caught up in this bureaucratic red tape. Additionally, exemption processes inherently create opportunities for administrative errors that jeopardize patients’ access to care. By eliminating the federal match for individuals not in compliance, the legislation leaves no doubt that states would take away coverage from millions of individuals and result in significantly worsened health outcomes.” [4/24/23]

Nearly 230 Medicaid Organizations Sign Letter Opposing McCarthy’s Work Requirement Plan. “Medicaid is a lifeline to 91 million Americans, providing insurance coverage for millions of children, veterans, and people who own and work at small businesses. The program is a critical source of coverage to people who have historically been egregiously underserved by our health care system including people of color, particularly in Black, Latino, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities, and people living in rural communities. The evidence is clear that when people have a reliable source of high-quality health coverage, they can access critical health services, including preventive care and behavioral health services; experience improved health outcomes and better overall health; and are protected against unexpected medical expenses. These ideas are not new: they were resoundingly rejected by people across the country when they were proposed as part of efforts to repeal the ACA in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the American public continues to strongly oppose them – new polling shows that 71 percent of Americans say it is important to prevent Medicaid cuts. [C]uts to the Medicaid program are unacceptable.” [4/19/23]

Doctors’ Organizations Representing Over 550,000 Physicians 2017 Statement Condemning Work Requirements. “Imposing work requirements, lock-outs, premiums, and other out-of-pocket costs will limit access to preventive and primary care services and inhibit Medicaid beneficiaries from seeking care that helps them avoid costlier health conditions and maintain wellness. Studies show 8 out of 10 Medicaid enrollees are in working families and 59% are working themselves.” [12/8/17]

Statement of ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray on McCarthy’s Work Requirements Bill. “Nearly two-thirds of adults enrolled in Medicaid already work. Medicaid helps people who work stay on the job. In fact, a survey of people covered by Medicaid in Michigan found that people who had Medicaid coverage were better able to get a job—and keep it. We are also concerned that work requirements will exacerbate ‘churn,’ where people who meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid are disenrolled owing to paperwork and administrative burdens. Reducing or eliminating health care coverage would impose financial stress on families, limit access to the care they need, and run the risk of denying coverage to people who are Medicaid-eligible.” [4/19/23]

Watch the Ads Here.

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is launching new digital ads in 10 key districts calling out Republicans’ radical plan to rip health care away from millions of Americans. Last week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy released the Republican plan to slash vital health care funding by 22 percent and throw people off of Medicaid by imposing burdensome paperwork requirements. Read more about the disastrous GOP health care plan here.

The new ads will run on digital platforms in the following districts: David Valadao (CA-22), Mike Garcia (CA-27), Young Kim (CA-40), Michelle Steel (CA-45), Nicholas Lalota (NY-01), George Santos (NY-03), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Marcus Molinaro (NY-19), Brandon Williams (NY-22) and Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04). 

“Kevin McCarthy has made clear that Republicans are united in their plan to risk a default on our debt in order to force cuts to health care for millions of Americans,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “These new ads make clear that the GOP proposal is an attack on veterans, people with disabilities and substance use disorders, seniors, caregivers, children, and more. If Republicans were serious they would throw out this reckless, ultra-MAGA plan and prioritize lowering health care costs, not gutting the programs that people across the nation depend on.” 

Example (CA-23) Ad Script: 

The Republicans’ default crisis means they won’t pay the bills and could default on the debt with American families paying the price.

Their plan could kick more than 10 million Americans off Medicaid including seniors, moms, and kids.

It cuts veterans’ health care by 22%.

Why are Republicans doing it?

So they can give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

Call Rep. David Valadao: Tell him to STOP the MAGA Default crisis and attacks on our health care.