Hundreds rally in South Bay against Trump's cuts to Medicaid
SAN JOSE, Calif. - At the Santa Clara County building on Thursday, dozens of politicians, health care providers, and activists joined voices as part of a battle calling for the protection of Medicaid funding.
Why you should care
"It feels very dystopian right now," said Nicole Kim, executive director of the College of Adaptive Arts, who is also the mother of a 32-year-old son with Down syndrome.
What we know
The Trump administration's latest budget proposal calls for $1.5 trillion in cuts over the next decade. But many in Washington and around the Bay Area believe such cuts would do more societal harm than good, especially in health care.
"They should spend their time and energy working on how to improve the quality and lower the cost of care," said Dr. Richard Scheffler, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.
Opponents said deep budget slashing will inevitably impact Medicaid — the federal and state-funded program providing free or low-cost health care coverage to low-income people and families.
"They voted to cut $880 billion from programs overseen by the Energy and Commerce (departments), 93% of which are Medicaid or health care," said Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif. Added Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., "We know from the analysis that we have done, that hospitals across the United States will actually close their doors, close their emergency rooms if these cuts go through."
Advocates said it's not just hospitals that will feel the impact. Without fully funded Medicaid, programs helping children and adults live full lives or even survive could disappear.
Terry Downing organized the rally and has a disabled daughter who depends on 10 Medicaid-funded programs.
"They're all surrounding my daughter to make sure her life is secure and safe. And they're not being paid enough as it is. And so any slight cut is going to dramatically affect her life," she said.
The same is true for Kim, whose son Said needs assistance to live on his own.
"Every parent wants their kid to move out and live a life. And that's what Medicaid enables him living independently," said Kim.
Rally attendees said the only way to prevent a possible catastrophe is for those impacted and those on the periphery to speak up, push back, and save Medicaid from funding cuts.
"Medicaid was part of the program that saved my life. I would not be here today had it not been for Medicaid. I'd either be in prison, or I'd be dead," said Mia Jaurigue of Pathway Society. She said her difficult past of drug addiction and incarceration would have been her future without assistance programs fully or partially funded by Medicaid. She has since turned her life around, graduated from San Jose State University, and works at Valley Medical Center.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 1 representative Susan Ellenberg warned Medicaid cuts could put such success stories in danger if the $3 billion the county receives annually from the federal government is reduced, forcing elected leaders to make up the difference by diverting money from other programs.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on the Instagram platform, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.
The Source
Interviews with attendees of the 'Save Medicaid' rally
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