Protect Our Care is continuing its “Hands Off Medicaid” campaign with events and activities nationwide. This week, Protect Our Care released new ads across 10 key districts featuring a lifelong Republican voter and certified nursing assistant who is against any cuts to Medicaid. House Republicans have advanced a budget resolution that includes slashing Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion in order to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. Many analysts have found that these cuts to Medicaid will disproportionately harm Trump voters. New KFF polling confirms that Republicans across the country are against Medicaid cuts, with 67 percent believing Medicaid funding should increase or stay the same. Republican lawmakers are turning their backs on their constituents and their own voters by supporting these drastic cuts to Medicaid.
HEADLINES
Fox News: Trump Voter Dons MAGA Hat in Warning to House Republicans Against Medicaid Cuts.
- “A self-identified nursing home employee and lifelong Republican who voted for President Donald Trump is urging House GOP lawmakers to avoid making cuts to Medicaid, as he stars in a new seven-figure ad blitz by a pro-Democrat outside group as part of its ‘Hands off Medicaid’ campaign.”
Politico Pulse: Medicaid Campaign.
- “The purchase, the largest in a $10 million campaign, consists of television, digital and radio ads featuring a ‘lifelong’ GOP voter and President Donald Trump supporter urging Republicans not to make cuts to Medicaid.”
Politico Inside Congress: Medicaid Pressure Campaign.
- “Left-leaning advocacy group Protect Our Care is launching a $2 million ad buy targeting key House Republicans on preserving Medicaid, our Ben Leonard reports. The ads will target several New York, California and Pennsylvania Republicans in swing districts, including Reps. Mike Lawler and Young Kim.”
Politics PA: What We’re Seeing.
- “Protect Our Care is launching new ads featuring a lifelong Republican voter and Trump and MAGA supporter who is a certified nurse assistant who is against any cuts to Medicaid. The new $2 million ad buy targets 10 House Republicans, including Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and will run on television, radio, and digital platforms.”
Inside Radio: Radio Part Of Media Mix For Medicaid Preservation Campaign.
- “The campaign comes against the backdrop of a push by the House GOP’s Freedom Caucus to enact cuts to the program, a federal/state joint initiative that provides healthcare for adults and children with limited resources. According to the federal government, more than 70 million Americans were receiving Medicaid services as of October 2024.”
IN THE STATES
ALASKA
Wednesday, March 5 – Frontiersman Op-Ed by Caregiver Amber Manley Spectrum on the Importance of Protecting Medicaid: Protect Our Care Alaska placed an opinion piece by Alaska caregiver Amber Manley Spectrum, who explains how Medicaid has allowed her to stay employed and provides patients the necessary in-home care they need to stay healthy and live with dignity. “Medicaid cuts threaten to strip away that dignity,” Spectrum writes. “When my clients lose hours, I lose income, making it harder to support my own family. One client barely manages with 13 hours of care a week—forcing impossible choices between cooking, cleaning, or simply getting him showered and clean. He only leaves for doctor’s appointments, and the isolation is taking a toll on his mental health. If Medicaid is cut further, he—and many others—will have no care at all.” You can read the full op-ed here.
Wednesday, March 12 – Medicaid Rally at the Alaska State Capitol with Caregivers and Advocates: Alaska caregivers and health care advocates gathered at the Alaska State Capitol Building in Juneau to sound the alarm against Medicaid cuts, which could result in about 100,000 Alaska residents losing coverage. Edna Beebe, a caregiver who traveled to Washington, DC, in February with SEIU, explained how difficult these cuts would be, especially for caregivers like her whose positions are funded by Medicaid: “For rural Alaskans, it would be devastating,” Beebe said. “Our elders’ and children’s lives matter, They depend on Medicaid.” You can view footage from the rally here.
- Juneau Empire: Alaskans across the state rally to safe Medicaid: their ‘lifeline’
- KTOO: Potential Medicaid cuts could be ‘devastating’ to Alaskans, protestors in Juneau say
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Wednesday, March 5 – Sea Coast Online LTE on Protecting Medicaid for Granite Staters with Disabilities by Storyteller Susan Zimmerman: Protect Our Care New Hampshire placed an LTE by Susan Zimmerman, a mom of an adult son with disabilities who gets long-term care thanks to Medicaid. Zimmerman explains how Medicaid is a lifeline for those with disabilities who rely on it for essential health care services, including primary care, specialty care and medical equipment, and what is at stake if people like her son were no longer able to receive their health care this way. “Medicaid also supports vital home − and community-based services that help people with disabilities live independently. Without these services, many would face barriers to accessing necessary care, leading to worse health outcomes and a lower quality of life,” Zimmerman writes. “Medicaid also plays a crucial role in supporting children with disabilities. It covers 4 in 10 children nationwide and provides funding for school-based services like speech pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy—services that allow kids with disabilities to thrive in educational settings.” You can read the full LTE here.
NEW YORK
- WKBW-TV: Christina Otero Discusses how Medicaid has helped her son with disabilities at hearing on Medicaid
- MSNBC: Christina Otero Discusses how Medicaid has helped her son with disabilities at hearing on Medicaid
- Instagram: AOC Post About Christina Otero
PENNSYLVANIA
Wednesday, March 5 – Medicaid Defense Event with State Representative Arvind Venkat and Health Care Advocates: Pennsylvania State Representative Arvind Venkat, MD; former Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services and federal CMMS official Teresa Miller; Jen Graham Partyka, Registered Nurse and mother of a Medicaid recipient; Dr. Amanda Cai, Central PA cardiologist and member of the Committee to Protect Health Care; and other Medicaid advocates from across the state joined Protect Our Care Pennsylvania and Commonwealth Communications to discuss the GOP’s latest budget plan. Last week, every PA Republican in Congress voted for the budget framework that includes at least $880 billion in Medicaid cuts in order to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. “These types of cuts to Medicaid will decimate health care coverage for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Pennsylvanians” said Representative and emergency physician Arvind Venkat, MD. “The bottom line is that the proposal from congressional Republicans and President Trump to eviscerate Medicaid to the tune of $880 billion would jeopardize the health and well-being of members of my community, my fellow Pennsylvanians, and really all Americans.”
- WJAC: Proposed cuts to Medicaid (also ran during the 6pm and 11pm news hours)
- WATM: Budget proposal to potentially cut significant funds from Medicaid
- WJAC: Contentious cuts to Medicaid (also ran during the 6am news hour)
- WWCP: Proposal to cut funds from the national Medicaid program (also ran during the 7am and 8am news hours)
- WESA: PA doctors and officials push back against cuts to Medicaid
- Erie News Now: PA Lawmakers Navigate State & Federal Medicaid Pressures
- MSN: Proposed Medicaid cuts spark debate among Pennsylvania lawmakers
- Pennsylvania Capital-Star: House Republicans’ budget threatens Medicaid for millions of Pennsylvanians, advocates say
- WESA: Pennsylvania officials, medical providers sound alarm over Medicaid cuts
- Penn Live: With billions in Medicaid cuts looming, Pa. health providers sound the alarm
Thursday, March 13 – SEIU Town Hall on Protecting Medicaid and Health Care Positions with Elected Officials, Community Members, Advocates and Health Care Workers: Elected Officials, Community Members, Advocates and Health Care Workers joined Protect Our Care Pennsylvania for a town hall to protect health care and union jobs and speak out about community concerns related to Regional hospital. At the town hall, organizers announced the launch of their “Coalition to Protect Regional Care and Jobs.” The coalition handed out window signs for businesses and residents at the town hall and launched an online open letter to the new owner at ProtectRegionalCareAndJobs.org. The open letter welcomes the new owner and says the community looks forward to working with them to improve care and expand services; preserve good union jobs; and address patient and community concerns. “When local hospitals are acquired, it’s critical that local needs are taken into account and that patients, communities, and workers are prioritized,” said Joanna Rosenhein, Consumer Engagement Manager at the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. “We stand ready to work collaboratively with the new coalition to ensure that Regional Hospital stays open and that patients in the area have continued access to the high-quality, affordable care they deserve.” You can read the post-event release here, and watch the full event here.
VIRGINIA
Friday, March 7 – Medicaid Roundtable with Congressman Don Beyer, SEIU, and Health Care Advocates: Protect Our Care Virginia provided storyteller Mary Lee Ruby and press support for Congressman Beyer’s Medicaid roundtable. “The House passed on a 217 to 215 vote last week the budget resolution that sets up reconciliation,” said Congressman Beyer. “They are looking for $2 trillion in cuts and they charged the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, with $880 billion of those cuts. … If you cut 1%, all of the Medicaid expansion money goes away.”
- DC News Now: Northern Virginians share concern over potential Medicaid cuts to Congressman
- WAMU: Rep. Beyer Medicaid Roundtable
- Augusta Free Press: Congresswoman McClellan brings Medicaid recipient as guest to joint session
- ALXNow: Congressman Beyer warns of devastating impact of Medicaid cuts
WEST VIRGINIA
- WCHS: Del. Hollis Lewis warns Medicaid cuts could severely impact West Virginia healthcare
- MSN.com: Delegate warns Medicaid cuts could severely impact West Virginia healthcare
Monday, March 3 — West Virginia News Op-Ed by Kanawha County Delegate Hollis Lewis Warning of Cuts to Medicaid: Protect Our Care West Virginia placed an opinion piece in West Virginia news by Delegate Hollis Lewis (D-Kanawha County) about why Medicaid must be protected for West Virginians, particularly for communities of color within the state. Lewis explains the GOP plan to cut federal funding for Medicaid and how this would harm the state’s health and wellbeing and deepen income and health disparities. “With Medicaid, persons from underserved communities can have routine doctor visits,medication, nursing home care, and much more,” Lewis writes. “For West Virginia, cuts to Medicaid would not only mean deepening health disparities but could put the state in financial despair: West Virginia spent nearly $5.7 billion on Medicaid for the 2023-2024 budget year, funded by more than $4.6 billion in federal funds and around $1 billion in state funds. West Virginia hospitals rely on the over $214 million in revenue from Medicaid to stay open and continue to serve their communities.” You can read the full op-ed here (full text also available here).
- Charleston Gazette-Mail: Health Care for WV on the Chopping Block (Opinion)
- Times-West Virginian: Health Care for West Virginians is on the Chopping Block
- Real WV: OP-ED: Healthcare for West Virginians is on the chopping block .
Thursday, March 13 – Charleston Gazette-Mail Op-ed by Child Health Policy Advocate Mariah Plante About the Threats to Medicaid for Those with Disabilities: Protect Our Care West Virginia placed an opinion piece by Child Health Policy Advocate at West Virginians for Affordable Health Care Mariah Plante, who explains how Medicaid is essential for West Virginians with disabilities but currently faces potential cuts due to the Republican budget proposal. Plante writes about her older brother, who receives care through Medicaid due to his lifelong disabilities: “Since both of his biological parents have died, Matt lives with my boyfriend and I in rural Wyoming County,” Plante writes. “Even though there are few resources available for families like ours in this part of the state, Medicaid is our lifeline. It covers his medical care, eyeglasses and behavioral support, including specialists that would otherwise be totally inaccessible if we had to pay out of pocket for their services.” You can read the full op-ed here. (paywalled, full text here).
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Examiner: Wisconsin patients, families are wary as Congress prepares for Medicaid surgery