Medicaid remains under fire

Thanks to the Olympian editorial board’s opinion piece “Health reform needs to make things better” (May 17).

As an anti-poverty advocate I am very disturbed about the AHCA’s $880 billion in cuts and structural changes to Medicaid, and also what the Senate revision may have in mind too.

Yes, our state’s Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are fighting against the House plan (ACHA) because it wasn’t making “things better.” You offer that moderate Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, are working on an alternative plan. But it’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the ideologues in Senate leadership who will soon bring “the” substitute proposal to the senate floor.

As engaged citizens we had better prepare for some serious monitoring as Medicaid is under fire!

Medicaid provides long-term care to millions of seniors, critical services that help Americans with disabilities live independently, and is a core part of the successful coverage of America’s children.

Medicaid responds automatically in a weak economy or in case of natural disasters, helping vulnerable Americans weather tough economic times and creating critical economic activity for local communities.

I strongly oppose efforts to cap Medicaid spending and end the Medicaid expansion. Why should 14 million low-income Americans lose this vital Medicaid coverage?

We need to insist that our senators oppose legislation that attacks Medicaid. That means any legislation that cuts or restructures Medicaid, ends the Medicaid expansion, or takes away health coverage for millions of Americans.

This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Medicaid remains under fire."