Mental health group launches ad campaign against Medicaid cuts
A leading bipartisan mental health advocacy group launched a $1 million targeted TV and radio advertising campaign Monday, calling on senators to protect Medicaid.
Republican's One Big Beautiful Bill Act proposes implementing deep cuts to Medicaid and imposing new restrictions on the program's beneficiaries, like work requirements and more eligibility checks.
The ads, launched by the group Inseparable, will appear on radio and television stations in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, Utah and West Virginia and are specifically targeting Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Thom Tillis (N.C.), John Curtis (Utah), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), and Jim Justice (W.Va.).
Both the TV and radio ads are urging lawmakers to ensure millions of Americans keep access to mental health services through Medicaid, including psychological support and substance use disorder programs.
'When we talk to lawmakers about this, a lot of them don't realize how intertwined Medicaid and mental health care are in America,' said Bill Smith, founder and CEO of Inseparable Action.
Inseparable also released a report outlining how the proposed Medicaid cuts will impact all 50 states in tandem with the ad campaign on Monday.
The report states the proposed Medicaid cuts will hurt people with mental health issues or addiction, noting that many Americans with psychiatric disabilities are not covered by the federal disability system.
It adds that many of these Americans lack internet access or already struggle to navigate bureaucratic reporting systems and are 'tripped up' by unclear or complex new requirements.
For each state, the report breaks down the percentage of state residents who rely on Medicaid, how many veterans in the state rely on the program, and how many residents are expected to lose health care coverage or access to other mental health programs.
In California, for example, 34 percent of state residents rely on Medi-Cal, with more than 124,000 veterans who call the Golden State home relying on the state Medicaid program, according to the report.
More than 1.4 million Californians could lose their health insurance coverage and access to treatment if the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is passed as is.
The report also breaks down how many children in each state receive health insurance coverage through Medicaid and how many Medicaid enrollees receive opioid addiction treatment.
'For the past few years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have talked about the importance of addressing youth mental health, the opioid epidemic, and suicide prevention,' Smith added. 'Now is the time. This is it. Protecting Medicaid is how we advance mental health, ripping care away from people is how we destroy it.'
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