Apple Health & Medicaid in the News
Tri-City Herald: Think proposed Medicaid cuts will affect only poor, elderly in Central WA? Think again
Steep reductions to the Washington Medicaid, or Apple Health, would impact services for other residents, according to health care officials. They could mean even busier emergency rooms, the closure of rural hospitals and loss of community doctors, and fewer medical services for everyone as hospitals lose…
In the 4th District, represented by Republican Dan Newhouse, upward of 70% of those under 19 are enrolled in government-funded insurance programs. “Do what’s right, do what’s fair, no more cuts to long-term care!” chanted the crowd. “Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Cuts to care have got to go!” On a large display, attendees...
Crosscut: Central and Eastern Washington brace for possible Medicaid cuts
The Columbian:‘Medicaid affects us all’: If cuts enacted, Southwest Washington doctors fear for…
“Without Medicaid, patients won’t have long-term coverage or access to preventive care, and will end up in emergency rooms,” Robbins-Stripp said. Medicaid was created in 1965 along with Medicare, the public health insurance program for Americans 65 and older. Medicaid supports health care access for low-income…
Yakima Herald: Saturday Soapbox: Careless cuts oversimplify — and worsen — the debt crisis
Cutting Medicaid is still a real possibility as there is not a place to get the necessary cuts without looking at the Medicaid program. That would be financially devastating to all the nursing homes, hospitals, doctors and medical offices in rural Central Washington. For many, access to health care would be emergency…
Columbia Basin Herald: Cantwell, Newhouse discuss budget impacts on Medicaid
If Congress makes cuts to Medicaid, the results could be disastrous for Central and Eastern Washington, Sen. Maria Cantwell said at town hall meetings in Spokane and Richland last week. “This is a tsunami of cuts coming at the people of Washington and the United States of America,” Cantwell, D-Wash., said. “And..
Tri-City Herald: Tri-Cities seniors rely on Medicaid. Protect Apple Health in Columbia Basin
If Medicaid is cut by Congress, this goes away. Our residents, and thousands of people across Central Washington, will be deprived of essential care that they need. They will not be able to afford necessary procedures or life-saving medication. Important diagnoses like early detection of cancer will no longer…
KIMATV: Protesters urge Rep. Newhouse to protect Medicaid, highlight community dependence
“It has affected our family.," Cabrera said. "My brother-in-law got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was around ten years old, so it brought a burden to our family, we had to come together as a family to try and pay for those expenses.” On Wednesday, hundreds of people were in Downtown Yakima, advocating for the…
Methow Valley News: Hundreds show up for Newhouse ‘office hours’ at Twisp Valley Grange
People in rural counties already live with considerable vulnerability on a day-to-day basis, and that will only worsen with cuts to Medicaid and other social-service programs, Okanogan County Health Officer James Wallace told the packed room. The gathering was not a public forum or town hall — it was one of Newhouse…
Yakima Herald: About 200 people rally against potential cuts to Medicaid in downtown Yakima
Yessica Cabrera, a local childcare provider, said some of her clients rely on Medicaid. Her family own family struggled with supporting a family member until he could get on Medicaid, she said. About 200 people rallied against cuts to Medicaid as they marched to U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse's office at The Tower building in…
NBC News: Yakima rally urges Rep. Newhouse to halt Medicaid cuts
"This is his community. I mean, if he cannot do nothing for his community, the community that put him where he [sits], the community, the people that voted for him, we are counting on him to make sure that these cuts don't happen," she said.
According to Andrew Jones, the CEO of Confluence Health, a medical provider in North Central Washington, Medicare accounts for nearly 68% of the organization’s budget. Jones warned that cuts to these programs could disproportionately affect rural hospitals, some of which are already struggling financially.
KNKX: Proposed Medicaid cuts threaten rural healthcare in Washington, expert warn
Apple Valley News: Yakima marchers urge Rep. Newhouse to oppose Medicaid cuts
“We’re here to let the community, let Congressman Newhouse know how important it is for him to care about our residents,” said Joany Schimmelfennig, administrator at Good Samaritan Health Care Center. More than 100 people marched to Rep. Dan Newhouse’s Yakima office Tuesday, voicing concerns about…
Yakima Herald: Opinion: Medicaid cuts would paralyze Central Washington
“We also hope Newhouse and the rest of the leaders — and citizens — of our region are paying attention to the alarms that Central WA Families and others are sounding. Let’s be clear: These cuts would devastate our region. They’d break our already fragile health care system, and the ripples would be felt in every sector of…
Yakima Herald: Possible Medicaid cuts raise concern in Yakima County
Possible federal cuts to Medicaid have raised concerns at the Good Samaritan Health Center, a senior living facility on 16th Avenue in Yakima that provides skilled nursing and long-term care.
Tri-City Herald: Newhouse backs House GOP budget plan that could lead to cuts for Tri-Cities Medicaid...
“If I didn’t have Medicaid, I would have nothing,” Vasconcelos said, questioning why lawmakers would consider cuts to children’s health insurance. “I just don’t understand. That all just doesn’t make sense to me.” At the end of a dramatic night on the House floor…
“Slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open,” wrote some Republicans worried about the cuts…
HealthCareDive: House Republicans pass budget blueprint that could spell Medicaid cuts
Spokesman Review: Medicaid could be on chopping block after Northwest Republicans help pass…
The majority of adults who rely on Medicaid have paying jobs, while others are going to school, caring for family members or are disabled or ill, according to Central WA Families, which had launched a campaign of messages asking Newhouse not to cut Medicaid…
Politico: Republicans May Find It Harder to Cut Medicaid Than They Think
Roughly two-thirds of adults in the United States say they or a family member or close friend have relied on Medicaid. Medicaid is now the single largest payer for treatment of opioid and other substance abuse, and it covers care for other serious mental illness…
Medicaid is the primary program providing comprehensive health and long-term care to one in five people living in the U.S. and accounts for nearly $1 out of every $5 spent on health care. If Congress makes cuts, 632,000 people in Washington state could lose coverage.
KFF: Eliminating the Medicaid Expansion Federal Match Rate: State-by-State Estimates
KFF: Eliminating the ACA Medicaid Expansion Match Could Reduce Total Medicaid Spending by Up To…
The impacts would be felt in both blue and red states and could effectively reverse and end the Medicaid expansion in most or all states that have adopted it.
Medicaid alone covers more than 40 percent of births in the United States. Far from being a handout, it is one of the most cost-effective insurance programs in the country, meaning there is very little fat to cut without immediately harming people…
New York Times: It’s hard to overstate how catastrophic the proposed cuts would be
For the first time in four years, financial losses at hospitals across Washington state are slowing down — and no hospitals are at risk of immediate closure. Since the pandemic, hospitals in Washington have lost $4.5 billion, according to the Washington State Hospital Association.
KUOW: Washington's Hospital System is Financially 'Fragile' Despite Improvements
Many people woke up this morning reading the news, discovering that there was a new federal funding freeze. This caused many Washington residents to be concerned if this would impact their Medicaid coverage. Nearly 1.9 million people in Washington State are on Medicaid. That's one in four people, according to a…
New Talk KIT: How Many People in WA are on Medicaid? A Shocking Answer
The New York Times: Medicaid May Face Big Cuts and Work Requirements
Medicaid has become deeply embedded in American life, covering nearly half of all children in the United States. It also pays for a significant portion of the nation’s nursing home care and mental health treatment.
Disability Scoop: Disability Advocates Sound Alarm Over Possible Medicaid Cuts…
The worries about Medicaid come as the program’s services for people with developmental disabilities are already under severe strain. Nearly 700,000 people across the country are on waiting lists for Medicaid waivers, which provide home and community…
Georgetown University: Federal Funding Cuts to Medicaid May Trigger Automatic Loss of Health…
Changes in federal budget funding can often seem remote. However, a simple reduction in federal funding for the Medicaid expansion population will have a very quick and direct effect in multiple states with millions losing their health coverage.
Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicaid: What to Watch in 2025
The most significant changes to Medicaid in 2025 could include federal funding cuts and financing reforms.