At Dozens of Hospitals from Sacramento to San Diego, Doctors, Nurses, Health Care Workers, Children, Families, Seniors, People with Disabilities Unite to Demand GOP Congress Keep “Hands off Medicaid” 

Powerful Day of Action Comes as Congress Unveils Their Plan to Slash Health Care for Millions, Possibly Forcing Hospitals, Clinics, and Nursing Homes to Close, and Hike Health Care Costs for All 

Across California – On the heels of Republican Congressional leaders releasing details of their plan to terminate health care for millions who rely on Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California), thousands of Californians rallied on Tuesday to save their communities’ hospitals from the GOP budget axe. House leadership aims to hold final votes on their plan to slash $715 billion from health care, impose new fees and onerous red tape and reporting requirements on patients, and establish new penalties on California, before Memorial Day. 

The day of action spanned dozens of hospitals in cities and communities across the state. Energetic rallies of doctors, nurses, health care workers, seniors, children, people with disabilities and their families, and advocates demonstrated the widespread, bipartisan support for Medi-Cal. The day’s events were also a powerful picture of the momentum growing to hold Republican Congressmembers accountable if they vote to terminate healthcare. 

“As a nursing assistant in a busy hospital, I worry about my patients. Cutting Medicaid will devastate families here in Orange County and across the country who depend on it for survival. Don’t jeopardize the health and future of children like my grandson Elijah, who has Cerebral palsy and depends on Medi-Cal for his care.  If we cut Medicaid, kids with disabilities won’t get the support they need, older seniors may fall, we will see more injuries, and a lot of our patients will not be able to afford their chemo or their medication.  This is why we are urging Representative Young Kim to vote against any cuts to Medicaid,” said Josephine Rios, a nursing assistant in Irvine.  

Last month, eight of nine Republican Congressmembers from California voted to advance a plan to cut health care to fund tax cuts for Elon Musk and wealthy corporations. One, Rep. Valado (R-Bakersfield) didn’t show up to protect his constituents’ care. The thousands of Californians who showed up at their local hospital today sent a strong message that they will hold their Congressmembers accountable if they don’t stop the dismantling of critical Medicaid programs before the Republican budget plan is finalized.  

“I am a lifelong disabilities advocate, not just for myself but for my family and friends. Medi-Cal is needed to help support my health. I had a stroke and I have diabetes. Medi-Cal helps me get a blood sugar monitor and get my diabetes under control so I can continue to live independently,” said Joe Meadours, Medi-Cal patient who lives in the Folsom area. “Without Medi-Cal, I’m not sure I could live independently. Without healthcare, I might wind up in a nursing home, which is more expensive than my doctor and my medicine.”

Hospitals at Risk
California hospitals – especially those in Republican Congressional districts – heavily rely on Medicaid funding. Many of the most hard hit facilities are in the California districts of Republican members of Congress who have voted to move this plan forward – more than $5.6 billion is at risk in their districts alone. See how much Medi-Cal funding is at risk in each of these districts here. 

Experts say that cuts of this magnitude would cut essential services like ERs and maternity wards, or close facilities all together. 217,000 Californians could lose their jobs. Patients could see costs spike, extended wait times, and worsening health conditions all to make sure that CEOs and wealthy corporations get a massive tax break.

The California Hospital Association estimated Congress’s proposal would cost hospitals statewide hundreds of billions over 10 years.  Hospital leaders across California have warned of the impact of cuts on their communities.

“As a health system, we see over 1.6 million pediatric visits a year,” Patrick Frias, the CEO of Rady Children’s Health, told CBS 8. “When you think 50 percent of kids we serve are Medicaid beneficiaries, that’s a significant proportion of our patients. We’re talking about a lot of families and children that could be impacted by this.” 

“These cuts would devastate hospitals across the state and country. The Valley would be especially hard-hit given our number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries. We would likely see many closures. Hospitals already lose money caring for Medi-Cal patients due to poor reimbursement rates,” Marc Mertz, chief strategy officer at Kaweah Health told the Visalia Times Delta.  

Jobs at Risk

According to a policy brief from the UC Berkeley Labor Center, California stands to lose as many as 217,000 jobs (based on a proposal for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid). Roughly two-thirds (67%) of lost jobs would be in health-care related fields such as hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, home care, insurance companies, and other providers. The remaining third would be spread across industries that support or are supported by health care – including food services, janitorial services, medical supply chains, employment and accounting services, and local businesses like restaurants and retail stores. Total lost economic output in California could reach $37 billion. Read the full report here.

Growing Momentum
Cutting Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) is extremely unpopular with voters, regardless of party.  Trump voters oppose cutting Medicaid to pay for tax cuts by a 15% point margin. That’s why GOP pollsters and strategists have warned Congress against Medicaid cuts. 

Since Republican leaders announced their plan to cut nearly one trillion dollars from Medicaid over 10 years, constituents in GOP districts across the state have been mobilizing to stop the cuts. In February they held townhall meetings to speak to Reps. Valado, Calvert and Kim – but none had the courage to face their voters. By April, thousands were showing up in front of the offices of Kim and Valadao, and hundreds packing events in the districts of Reps Kiley and Calvert. Those speaking out in protests included parents of children with serious diseases, and people with disabilities concerned the cuts will terminate their care. 

As the vote nears on the plan to terminate care and with hospitals at risk, today’s events are the biggest protests yet and send a powerful accountability message to GOP members. 

Republican Promises Aren’t What They Claim 

Hiding behind politician double-speak, Republican members of Congress have claimed they intend to protect Medi-Cal, while still telling Republican leadership they open to terminating care for 5 million working Californians, instituting new bureaucratic hurdles that jeopardize care for 8 million Californians, or forcing states into doing the dirty work of slashing programs or cutting care. Decode their misleading language here.

See a full list of today’s events: https://fightforourhealth.org/save-our-hospitals/