In Washington state, over 1.8 million people rely on Medicaid; Central and Eastern WA have the highest proportion of people on Medicaid
***PHOTOS, B-ROLL HERE***
Olympia, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a press conference at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia to sound the alarm on the massive, steep cuts to Medicaid that House and Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C. are right now working to pass via their budget reconciliation bill, which only requires a simple majority of votes to pass in each chamber. Joining Senator Murray for the press conference were U.S. Representative Emily Randall, (WA-06), Washington State Senator and Floor Leader Marcus Riccelli (District 3), Dr. Crystal Shen, a pediatrician who leads advocacy efforts for the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians, Justin Gill, a registered nurse and the President of the Washington State Nurses Association, and Julie Clark, a Medicaid recipient who spoke about how the services she receives through Medicaid allow her to live a full and independent life away from an institution.
Nearly 80 million Americans rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for their health coverage and access to care, including over 1.8 million people in Washington state who are enrolled in Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid program. In Washington state, 38 percent of children, one in six adults, three in five nursing home residents, and three in eight people with disabilities are covered by Apple Health. House Republicans have proposed cuts of at least $880 billion to Medicaid and other health care programs, which would have devastating consequences for Washington state’s health care system and everyone who relies on it. In Fiscal Year 2023, Washington state received over $12.5 billion in federal Medicaid funding, accounting for 57 percent of all federal funding to the state—cuts to federal Medicaid funding would severely exacerbate Washington state’s budget deficit, since the state would have to make up for the shortfall to try and minimize the loss of crucial health care services.
“Cuts to Medicaid at the scale Republicans are directing will mean hospitals and clinics—especially in our rural areas—will close their doors. Moms and babies will lose health coverage. Seniors will be cut from home care services and forced out of long-term care facilities. Wait times for care will skyrocket, labor and delivery services will close, and people who need lifesaving mental health care—or help recovering from addiction—will suffer… Nearly half of kids in America get their health care through Medicaid—that is the program Trump, and Elon, and Republicans are aiming their wrecking ball at,” Senator Murray said at the press conference today.
“House Republicans directed the Energy and Commerce committee to find $880 billion dollars worth of Medicaid cuts—because they need the room in the budget to extend Trump’s tax cuts for the richest Americans,” Senator Murray continued. “If you don’t want to see people kicked off their health care, if you don’t want to see hospitals close their doors in your community, then this is the time to get loud, pick up the phone, and tell Republicans in Congress to stop listening to Donald Trump and Elon Musk who want tax breaks for their billionaire buddies, and start listening to your constituents who just want to stay on their health care.”
Republicans have offered various proposals to drastically cut Medicaid, all of which would mean cutting services and kicking people off their health care coverage. For example, 782,000 Washingtonians, or 42 percent of adults on Medicaid in Washington state, would be at risk of losing coverage if Republicans institute so-called work requirements, which been proven not to increase employment—but rather strip health coverage from people with low incomes, most of whom are already working full or part-time, or not working due to circumstances like school or caregiving responsibilities. Reducing the federal match rate for states like Washington that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, another idea that has been discussed, would force Washington state to spend $2,754,000,000 more to maintain its Medicaid expansion, and threaten coverage for 647,416 people in Washington. Removing or lowering the 50 percent floor on federal Medicaid match rates would shift costs to states dramatically, and would mean Washington state would have to pay an additional $1,197,000,000, or 18 percent every year.
“I first became aware of the good that government can do for our families when Washington state led the country in expanding Medicaid in 1993, because of brave legislators who knew that it was the right decision. And it was a decision that changed my family’s trajectory—my sister… was born with complex disabilities and my dad’s civilian government employee insurance from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was good, but wouldn’t have covered everything that she needed to survive. And my story is just like so many stories across the district, across the state, and across the country,” said U.S. Representative Emily Randall (WA-06). “In our rural community on the Olympic Peninsula, we have hospitals in Forks, in Port Angeles, in Elma, that are already hanging by a thread, that are struggling to keep providers employed and keep their doors open, to continue providing lifesaving care to folks who have nowhere else to go. But if this administration and the Republicans in Congress are effective and successful in delivering $880 billion dollars of cuts to people’s health care, those hospitals will have to close their doors, leaving our community without health care.”
“Drastically cutting Medicaid would eliminate a lifeline for thousands of people in Eastern and Central Washington,” said Washington state Senator Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane). “It will mean a loss of comprehensive services to people, including access to primary care, behavioral health, and dental care. By delaying this care, we will see a flood of people end up in already burdened emergency rooms, particularly in rural areas where hospitals are already on the brink of cutting services or closing their doors. Simply put, cutting Medicaid will mean cutting lives short in Washington state.”
“Medicaid cuts of this massive scale would be devastating for access to care and can lead to significant preventable health harm,” said Dr. Crystal Shen, a Seattle-area pediatrician with the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians. “Medicaid cuts would mean that clinics are at risk of significantly limiting Medicaid access in order to keep their lights on, or could even be at risk of closing. This would lead to families having to travel even farther and wait longer for access to care, or perhaps not being able to access care at all. This means kids would miss out on care that they need and show up in emergency rooms sicker… Pediatric specialist access could become even more limited geographically and even longer waits, when some already have wait times of a year or even longer. Some pediatric specialty departments have even closed due to losing staff due to Medicaid funding challenges… If massive cuts cause clinics or specialty departments to close, then all children in that area may be impacted, not just children on Medicaid. These are difficult to re-open once they are closed, and entire communities, especially rural communities, could lack access to essential medical care. I have seen firsthand the great lengths that parents will go to help their children access medical care, whether traveling for hours or waiting months.”
“Medicaid is a lifeline for so many of my patients. It ensures expectant parents receive essential care, seniors access long-term support, and working families stay healthy while striving to make ends meet. Cutting Medicaid will further destabilize our healthcare system by forcing clinics and hospitals throughout our state to close, leaving patients with even fewer options,” said Justin Gill, DNP, APRN, RN, President of the Washington State Nurses Association. “These cuts will make our jobs as nurses even more difficult. We will struggle to coordinate care, secure medications, and order necessary tests and diagnostics for our patients. The burden of navigating an already complex system will only grow, further contributing to burnout and workforce shortages. There is a difference between those that make reckless policy decisions, like cutting Medicaid, and those of us that are in the trenches doing the work. When I see a patient, I am accountable for the care and direction I provide. I wonder if any lawmakers supporting these cuts will apply that same standard of accountability when they decide on how to vote.”
“My care is very high. I have a feeding tube. I love it in my own home. I can do whatever I want to do. I can go anywhere I need or want, but require a caregiver for safety… Staff take care of my physical needs because I can’t take care of myself due to my disability. My staff supports me with medications and they help me to get to and from appointments. They support my social activities. I cannot go anywhere without my caregivers. I wish I could do all these things for myself, but I cannot. I like my freedom. Everyone deserves to have the quality of life to work and live in their own home in the community. Please do not make cuts to Medicaid. These cuts would be very harmful to myself and those like me. This would affect me and my living situation drastically because I would be forced to live in an institution,” said Julie Clark, a self-advocate who relies on services paid for by Medicaid to live a full and independent life.
Nationwide, nearly half of children in America are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicaid pays for nearly half of births in the U.S. Medicaid also pays for services for 2 in 3 nursing home residents and pays for home-based services for close to 2 million seniors—allowing them to age safely at home—as well as close to 3 million people with disabilities and other health conditions. Cutting Medicaid will lead to accelerated hospital closures, particularly in rural areas. Medicaid also covers 1 in 4 people with a mental health or substance use disorder, and serves as the largest payer for mental health and substance use services for communities nationwide amid an ongoing overdose and opioid epidemic made worse by an influx of fentanyl. Recent polling from KFF Health found 82 percent of adults think Medicaid funding should either increase or stay the same and large majorities of people across parties, those who voted for Trump in 2024, and adults living in rural areas say the program is “very important” for their local community. Polling from Hart Research found that 71 percent of voters who backed Trump said cutting Medicaid would be unacceptable, and voters overall were even more opposed to it.
A fact sheet outlining what Medicaid cuts would mean for Washington state is HERE.
Senator Murray’s full remarks at the press conference, as delivered, are below:
“We are here because, back in the Other Washington, Republicans are getting ready to launch an all-out assault on a program that tens of millions of Americans, including 1.8 million people in our state, rely on for health care—and that is Medicaid.
“Last month, House Republicans passed a budget resolution with $880 billion—that’s a ‘b,’ billion—dollars in cuts, with Medicaid in the crosshairs—explicitly laying the groundwork for legislation later this year that will cut Americans off their health care, force our rural hospitals to close their doors, and blow a massive hole in states’ budgets…
“Including here in Washington state, where we received over twelve-and-a-half billion dollars in Medicaid funding in Fiscal Year 2023 alone.
“One in five people in Washington state rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage, including three in eight people with disabilities, three in five seniors, and nearly forty percent of children.
“Make no mistake: Medicaid saves lives.
“And do you know where it saves lives the most? In rural and red communities. Here in our state, Washington’s 4th and 5th Congressional Districts—the only two represented by Republicans—have the highest proportion of people who rely on Medicaid!
“Those are the places that are going to really get hit hardest if Republicans succeed in their plan to dramatically slash Medicaid.
“Cuts to Medicaid at the scale Republicans are directing will mean: hospitals and clinics—especially in our rural areas—will close their doors. Moms and babies will lose health coverage. Seniors will be cut from home care services and forced out of long-term care facilities. Wait times for care will skyrocket, labor and delivery services will close, and people who need lifesaving mental health care—or help recovering from addiction—will suffer.
“And don’t forget—Medicaid is the largest source of coverage for mental health and substance use services for communities across the country.
“Nearly half of kids in America get their health care through Medicaid—that is the program Trump, and Elon, and Republicans are aiming their wrecking ball at.
“And when you consider how many people rely on it, it should come as no surprise that Medicaid is overwhelmingly popular!
“In fact, 82 percent of Americans want to see Medicaid funding increase or stay the same. Large majorities of people across political parties say Medicaid is, ‘very important’ to their local community. 71 percent of people who voted for Trump said cutting Medicaid would be unacceptable.
“Those numbers send a clear message—and a clear warning to Republicans in Congress if they decide to charge forward.
“You might wonder, if Medicaid is so popular, and so essential, to people all over the country—why are Republicans so hell-bent on cutting it to the bone?
“Well the answer is simple: to pass more tax cuts for billionaires.
“House Republicans directed the Energy and Commerce committee to find $880 billion dollars worth of Medicaid cuts because they need the room in the budget to extend Trump’s tax cuts for the richest Americans.
“The bottom line is that for Republicans, if there’s a choice between helping working people and helping their billionaire buddies, they’re going to side with the billionaires.
“That’s why we are here today to raise the alarm, to spell out what the cuts they’re proposing would actually mean for folks here in our state, and to encourage people to speak out.
“Because if you don’t want to see people kicked off their health care, if you don’t want to see hospitals close their doors in your community, then this is the time to get loud, pick up the phone, and tell Republicans in Congress to stop listening to Donald Trump and Elon Musk who want tax breaks for their billionaire buddies, and start listening to your constituents who just want to stay on their health care.
“We cannot let Republicans charge ahead on deep and painful cuts to Medicaid just to line the pockets of the richest people in the world.
“Now, Republicans still have a ways to go before they can actually pass these cuts into law.
“So now is the time, again, to keep doing everything we can to raise our voices and call on Republicans to think seriously about what these cuts would do to their communities, and to reverse course before it’s too late.
“You can bet that back in the Other Washington, I will keep fighting every way I can to protect people’s health care, lift up the voices of families here in Washington state, and make sure, at the very least, our Republican colleagues, hear from their constituents that they are so determined to hurt.”
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