Sen. Cantwell, in weeklong tour of WA, hears how Medicaid has saved lives of patients and their family members
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) heard from voices across Washington state about the dangers of President Trump and the GOP’s proposed cuts to Medicaid. Doctors, patients, and health care providers warned that such cuts would devastate Washington state’s health care system and limit access to lifesaving care.
Medicaid is the federal program that insures many low-income adults and children, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities. Washington state’s Medicaid program, Apple Health, ensures that eligible Washingtonians can afford to seek health care and see providers when they need to.
In Seattle on Tuesday: Sen. Cantwell joined Whitney Stohr and McKenzi Fish, as well as doctors and hospital executives, in speaking at a press conference. Stohr depends on Medicaid funds to pay for her son Malachi’s treatment for spina bifida, and Fish was covered by Medicaid during her fight against Hodgkin lymphoma as a teenager.
“While I was taking care of him in those early days in the hospital I knew that there was no way my family could afford the care,” said Stohr, about Medicaid’s role in her son Malachi’s treatment: “We couldn’t pay for it then, we couldn’t pay for it now – at least not without Medicaid.”
Video of the entire Seattle press conference is available HERE. Sen. Cantwell’s remarks are available HERE with a transcript HERE
In Spokane on Wednesday: At a roundtable, Sen. Cantwell heard from Gail Halverson, Julie Sparkman, Elisanne McCutchen, and hospital leadership about how they and their communities rely on Medicaid funds for treatment. Halverson and McCutchen rely on Medicaid for ongoing medical care, and Sparkman is a Spokane-area home care provider whose family members have had their lives saved by Medicaid-funded treatment.
“People are going to be sick, and they’re going to have to go to nursing homes — well who’s going to pay for the nursing homes? That’s Medicare, that’s Medicaid!” said Halverson. “So, are we just left to die?”
Video of the entire Spokane roundtable is available HERE. Sen. Cantwell’s remarks are available HERE with a transcript HERE
In the Tri-Cities on Friday: At a press conference with Sen. Cantwell and local health care leadership, Brenda Morgan shared the story of her client, Samantha, an autistic young adult with a heart condition, who needs a feeding tube for meals and medications.
“She wants me to ask you,” Morgan said, “’Why aren’t people thinking about us? Do they not know that I can’t survive without Medicaid?
Video of the entire Tri-Cities press conference is available HERE. Sen. Cantwell’s remarks are available HERE with a transcript HERE
And at each event, across the state, Sen. Cantwell warned that the GOP’s plans to cut Medicaid are not hypothetical.
“This is a tsunami of cuts coming at the people of Washington and the United States of America,” said Sen. Cantwell in Seattle. “And I guarantee you this is not a drill.”
Sen. Cantwell has released two snapshot reports that, together, highlight the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on Washington state’s health care system. Her first snapshot report provided new data on the percentage of Medicaid patients in each of the State of Washington’s U.S. congressional districts, as well as by region. Congressional District 4 (Central Washington) and Congressional District 5 (Eastern Washington) have the highest proportions of adults and total population on Medicaid.
Sen. Cantwell’s second snapshot report detailed new data showing the crucial role that Medicaid plays in funding Seattle-area health care. That report showed that Medicaid funded 22.6% of inpatient care and 18.1% of outpatient care at hospitals in Western Washington in 2023. Western Washington hospitals saw 623,549 Medicaid patients in 2023.
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