Latest news with #MedicaidDayofAction
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medicaid cuts may affect millions of Massachusetts residents
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Nearly $900 billion in cuts could be coming to Medicaid, which means benefits and programs could be affected. Congressman Neal visits nonprofit affected by proposed Medicaid cuts The House recently passed a new budget that would cut $880 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee over the next 10 years, and Medicaid is expected to receive a bulk of these cuts. Tuesday was Medicaid Day of Action, and leaders across the country held events to call attention to these proposed cuts, and how they will affect more than 70 million people across the country. Medicaid provides health insurance primarily to people with low incomes, and other groups like some older adults, children, or people with disabilities. According to research from the Economic Policy Institute, the program is the largest federal program for alleviating poverty, and cutbacks would increase hardships for already struggling families. These cuts have received a lot of pushback, and democratic leaders, including Governor Maura Healey, are speaking out. She says these cuts, combined with NIH funding cuts, would take away health case from babies, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities, adding quote, 'these actions will have real harm on the health and well-being of our children and will prevent doctors and researchers on doing their jobs.' Again these cuts could affect two million people in Massachusetts WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pettersen talks Medicaid funding woes at state, national levels
DENVER (KDVR) — Now that Congress has passed a temporary bill to fund the government, members are looking ahead to budget reconciliation. Democrats deemed Tuesday 'Medicaid Day of Action.' FOX31 is looking at the impact the cuts could have on the state if they come to pass. Activist Jeanette Vizguerra reportedly detained by ICE in Aurora, immigration rights group says Uncertainty surrounding federal dollars plus a big gap in the state's budget, equals a tricky situation for Colorado lawmakers to fund Medicaid. 'Primarily the Medicaid cuts would have some very significant impacts on the rural hospitals,' said Tom Rennell, Senior Vice President of Financial Policy at the Colorado Hospital Association. Colorado state and healthcare leaders are concerned about potential cuts in Medicaid funding. According to the state's Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), 22% of the state is on Medicaid, amounting to 1.31 million Coloradans as of January. A third of the state's general fund comes from Medicaid. By congressional district, Colorado's fourth congressional district represented by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert sees most of the state's Medicaid dollars: An average of more than 710,000 enrollees using more than $6 billion in the 2024-2025 enrollment year. The district contains some of the state's most rural areas, areas health leaders are concerned could get hurt the worst if Medicaid cuts happen. Attorney of former Mesa County Clerk concerned for Peters' health, mental condition 'The last thing anybody wants to do is close their doors. Along that continuum, they may have to cut some services. They may have to delay investments. They may have to manage staffing or costs differently. And if all of those don't work, they may not be able to continue to operate,' Rennell said. On top of the local gap, Democrats are looking ahead to budget reconciliation after passing a temporary bill to keep the government funded through September. Last month, the U.S. House passed a budget bill that calls for $880 billion in cuts from the House Energy and Commerce committee, the committee that oversees Medicaid. The president has mentioned he would like to sign that bill by mid-April. While highlighting what the potential cuts could mean for healthcare providers and patients, Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen had a suggestion for her former colleagues at the state capitol. 'It's hard to actually fathom what it could look like in Colorado,' Pettersen said as she began her press conference about the impact cuts could have on Colorado. Bernie Sanders, AOC holding rallies in Denver and Greeley We asked Congresswoman Pettersen about what her former colleagues at the state capitol should do as they try to make cuts to their budget without knowing what the federal government will allocate. She pointed to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights to get around the hole as the mechanism limits how much money the state can retain. 'I support that if you are going to raise taxes, voters should have to vote on that, that part is something about TABOR that will never go away, that voters want to save. The piece about it that doesn't make any sense is when you have increased need in Colorado, increased population, increase in income and taxes that you are not able to take those additional taxes and invest back, that we have a ratchet effect that actually limits what we take in,' Pettersen said. 'All of these things that we have as a safety net in support of investing in future generations is really on the chopping block because of something that sounded good on the ballot that has brought detrimental impacts to Colorado for decades. So now we are looking at almost a billion-dollar hole so that we can all get a small check in the mail instead of investing back in our future in Colorado,' Pettersen said. A spokesperson for Congressman Gabe Evans, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the state has mismanaged Medicaid funding before they start pointing fingers at the federal government. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
19-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Bay Area Democrats rally against federal cuts to Medicaid
This week, opponents of the proposed federal budget cuts on healthcare staged a "Medicaid Day of Action" that included a series of press conferences by elected officials in the Bay Area. In California, the Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal. But the money comes from Washington D.C., and it's bound to be affected by the $880 billion cut being proposed. At a press conference at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, after Democratic politicians had their say, the media heard from Huong Truong, a San Jose resident whose year-old daughter Joanne was safely delivered thanks to MediCal funding. "The health of my family is my top priority," he said. "I am thankful for Medi-Cal because, without it, I don't know how my family can afford and sustain healthcare services. Medi-Cal is important, not just for my family, but to millions of other people just like myself, who are building their families." Later at another Democratic press gathering in San Francisco, another story of the impact of Medicaid on real people's lives. Speaking through an interpreter, Sasha Bittner said Medicaid not only saved her life but helped her to live it. Cerebral palsy left her a quadriplegic with speech and vision problems, but using Medicaid-provided services, Sasha graduated from UC Berkeley and went on to chair the state's Council on Developmental Disabilities. "The reason I am able to live such a constructive life is because of the critical assistance I receive every day from home care providers funded by Medicaid," she said. "If there had been a cap on Medicaid, my family would have gone bankrupt, or I could have just died. For many of us, a Medicaid cap is an actual death sentence." Back in San Jose, medical staff president Dr. Patricia Salmon said things used to be different at Valley Medical Center before they expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act in 2013. "And I would go and talk to these individuals and hear that they didn't have insurance," she said. "They didn't have Medicaid. They couldn't afford their medications. They had to struggle to choose between medications and putting food on their table. They couldn't go to the doctor for minor problems. They had to come to the emergency room only when they had a critical illness that could have been prevented." The hospital's CEO said one in four residents in Santa Clara County get their healthcare through Medi-Cal funding. And about 60% of them are currently being served by the county's healthcare system. People can argue about whether or not healthcare is a "right," but it's certainly something that every American expects. If the Trump administration thinks Medicaid is just another example of waste in government, they may be picking a fight that could turn voters against them.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House Democrats hold ‘Medicaid Day of Action' in NY
NEW YORK (PIX11) — House Democrats across New York and the nation held a 'Medicaid Day of Action' on Tuesday. They are pushing back against Republican plans for deep cuts to a program that provides health care to 70 million low-income Americans. More Local News Speaking at a rally at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez said up to $880 billion could potentially be axed from Medicaid to primarily pay for Republican tax cuts. Medicaid helps pay for the health care of 1 in 5 Americans. So-called safety net providers like the Brooklyn Hospital Center say 50% of its patients rely on Medicaid. They say staff cuts and access to critical care are at stake if deep cuts are made. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
18-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
A politically wounded Schumer seeks to reassure his skeptics
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. 'I should be the leader,' he said defiantly during a morning appearance on 'The View.' Even as the New Yorker draws the wrath of his party for clearing a path for President Donald Trump's government funding bill last week, he's doesn't yet appear to face any real threat from inside his own Senate caucus. Instead, Schumer has already moved onto his next fights with Trump. In between his various attempts at damage control on the spending fight, Schumer joined a call with Senate Judiciary Democrats on Tuesday to discuss strategy for responding to the White House's plan to speed up deportations using the Alien Enemies Act, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Separately, Schumer and his team coordinated a 'Medicaid Day of Action' with their House Democratic colleagues to protest Trump's agenda, which Democrats describe as the 'largest Medicaid cut in American history,' as they warn of the potential for future cuts. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, his fellow New Yorker who just days earlier refused to take questions about whether he backed him as leader, appeared to close ranks, joining Schumer in a joint statement to declare 'we are in this fight until we win this fight,' and affirming support for his leadership. 'Yes I do,' Jeffries said later Tuesday morning at his own press conference outside the Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, the Democratic leaders' shared hometown. Jeffries said he had a 'good conversation' with Schumer during a one-on-one in Brooklyn over the weekend to ensure Democrats 'speak with one voice' to keep Medicaid intact. Still, Schumer – who became party leader nine years ago, weeks after Trump won his first term – is still working fiercely to convince his party he did the right thing in pulling Democrats back from their first real battle of Trump's second term. And he faces challenges ahead: He has infuriated the Democratic base in a way that operatives worry could dry up fundraising and manpower for the midterms. Some in the party — particularly among activists — are still calling for Schumer's resignation and seething over his decision to postpone his book tour citing 'security concerns' amid the planned protests. Privately, his own senators criticized the party's lack of clear message and urged Schumer to fix the problem before the next big fight. But Schumer is not a leader in retreat. He is, in fact, digging in on his position with a determination to convince his party how to 'fight smart' against Trump and why shutting down the government would have cost Democrats a lot more than political leverage. And in classic fashion, he is fighting and tweeting his way through much of the backlash in public, with extensive interviews from 'The View' to The New York Times. 'No one wants to fight more than me and no one fights more than me. You've got to fight smart,' Schumer said on the ABC daytime talk show Tuesday, stressing that he felt he was forced to choose between a 'bad' GOP funding bill or a 'devastating' shutdown. 'One chops off one of your fingers, the other chops off your arm.' And in interview after interview, Schumer is making clear that he's not stepping away as leader. 'I'm the best leader for the Senate,' Schumer told CBS' 'This Morning.' For now, Schumer is dealing with only external pressure: None of his fellow senators are criticizing him publicly. The Democratic base is channeling anger through progressives like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and their planned massive rallies across the country. One of those rallies — a Denver town hall on the 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour – has recorded some 17,000 RSVPs, more than the peak of Sanders' presidential bid, according to a person with knowledge of the event. Others are still using the phone. Many angry Democratic voters are calling up their home senators with strong messages for Schumer, according to two Democrats familiar with the outreach. A number of his fellow Democrats in Washington, however, are pivoting to the next fight. Democrats may not have real leverage over Republicans' plans to pass Trump's agenda through the partisan-process known as budget reconciliation, but they can exert maximum political pressure back home. So they are gearing up for a brutal battle over extending Trump's tax cuts, the possibility of major cuts to mandatory spending programs like Medicaid or nutritional assistance, and a debt limit hike. Schumer's other major fight ahead is the 2026 midterms. And as he stressed on 'The View,' he sees his political acumen as perhaps his greatest asset to the party. 'One of the things I am known to be very good at is how to win seats,' Schumer said, touting his ability to recruit and promote party strategy. At least one of those potential recruits for 2026 agrees. Rep. Haley Stevens, who is eying a possible run for Michigan Senate, told CNN on Sunday: 'I think Chuck Schumer's a great leader.'
