FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
February 7, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Healthcare workers from across California are heading to Washington, D.C. this week to fight against proposed Medicaid cuts that could devastate 15 million California residents. Representing communities from Orange County, Bakersfield, and Riverside County, caregivers are taking their message directly to their congressional representatives—Congressmembers Young Kim, David Valadao, and Ken Calvert—to demand answers on how they will vote regarding future Medicaid budget proposals.

“Thousands of people in Congressman Valadao’s district could be at risk,” said Natalie Padilla, a pharmacy technician in Bakersfield. “If Medi-Cal funding is cut, hospitals will shut down, and our community will feel the consequences. I want to know whether Congressman Valadao will stand with us or abandon the people he represents. This isn’t about politics—it’s about protecting lives and ensuring hospitals remain open.”

Medicaid has long enjoyed bipartisan support. More than 91 million Americans—nearly one in four people—depend on Medicaid for their healthcare. A recent Navigator Research poll found that 81% of Americans—including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans—oppose cuts to Medicaid. In recent years, voters in red states including Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah have voted to expand Medicaid access, recognizing the important role the program plays in keeping hospitals open and working families healthy.

“The lives of thousands of Congresswoman Kim’s constituents are at stake,” said Josephine Rios, a nursing aide from Tustin, California. “Voting for Medi-Cal cuts means hospitals WILL close and our community WILL suffer. I want to know if Congresswoman Kim will do right by us or if she will turn her back on her district. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is about saving lives and keeping hospitals open.”

This lobbying trip is part of a larger nationwide effort to oppose billionaire-driven efforts to slash federal programs like Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) in order to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.

“Congressman Calvert’s district faces a serious threat,” said Tammy Peace, an emergency room nursing assistant in Palm Springs. “If Medi-Cal funding is slashed, hospitals will be forced to close, and our community will suffer. I want to know if the Congressman will stand up for us. It’s about keeping our hospitals running and jobs in our communities.”

Any proposed cuts would not only jeopardize care for 15 million Californians who count on the Medi-Cal program, but would also threaten local hospitals and healthcare jobs, slash home care services that keep seniors and children with disabilities out of institutions, and raise healthcare costs for all Californians.

The impact of cuts would bring disastrous results. Local nursing homes and home care programs could be decimated, potentially meaning more local families having to take over full care responsibilities for senior loved ones whose direct care facilities and home care programs could shudder. Most nursing homes and home care programs already operate on slim margins, and cuts to Medi-Cal could be a death knell.

Caregivers also warned that residents would have to get sick enough to go to the emergency room before they could access basic medical care, raising costs for everyone and clogging emergency rooms statewide.

Taking money out of Medi-Cal is also expected to force private insurers to raise costs on commercial plans, putting further pressure and increased costs on all healthcare facilities, businesses, and consumers, whether they rely on Medi-Cal or not.

Healthcare workers from Orange County, Bakersfield, and Riverside County are just some of the many groups from California and across the country heading to D.C. to oppose these cuts. A growing coalition of healthcare workers, patients, and community members dedicated to protecting Medi-Cal is organizing and promoting the events.

Hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes across California would be at risk of closing their doors and handing out pink slips if Congress slashes funding for the essential healthcare program. Cuts would also reduce access to home care services, forcing families with elderly parents or children with disabilities to choose between keeping their homes or putting their loved ones in an institution.

California healthcare workers are making it clear: Any cuts to Medicaid would be catastrophic for millions of families, and Congress must take action to protect the program.

# # #

SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers.