RICHLAND, Wash. – Senator Maria Cantwell visited Kadlec Regional Medical Center to address concerns about proposed Medicaid budget cuts.
During her visit, Cantwell highlighted the potential impacts of these cuts on communities in Eastern Washington. She was joined by doctors, caregivers, and chief medical officers; all of whom stressed the risks associated with reducing Medicaid funding.
Cantwell took a firm stance on the issue, emphasizing the importance of Medicaid for hospitals, staff, and patients.
“This is not a drill. This is a real proposal. And we have to wake up the American people, and certainly here in Central Washington, to the devastating impacts they could see if Medicaid was cut.”
Cantwell explained that in her research, 70% of Central Washington’s children and 38% of the region’s total population uses Medicaid to access health services.
“I guarantee you, health clinics would close, hospitals would find it hard to provide care. And as individuals have said here, people just would not get health care,” she added.
On Thursday, Representative Dan Newhouse also addressed the potential Medicaid cuts. During his press conference, he highlighted the need for responsible spending to ensure the continuation of services.
“What I tell people, if we want to say, for instance, Medicaid, if we want to continue to provide services, medical services for people that truly need that, we’re not going to be able to if we allow the government to collapse,” said Newhouse.
According to The White House, the US Government Accountability Office estimates that Americans lose approximately $521B in fraud every year. The GAO, reporting that a majority of it comes from entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid programs.
