'People will die': Californians in GOP districts put reps on notice over Medicaid cuts

When Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in 2024, he insisted that cuts to Social Security and Medicare were not on the table. But his Democratic opponents warned that if Trump won the election, he would not only target Social Security and Medicare, but also Medicaid — which provides health insurance to low-income Americans.

In an article published on March 11, CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang takes a look at Californians who live in GOP-leaning congressional districts or swing districts and are worried about Medicaid cuts.

Once a red state, California became increasingly Democratic after the 1980s. 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried California by 20 percent. Nonetheless, some rural California districts still have GOP lawmakers, including the districts Hwang describes.

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GOP lawmakers, Hwang notes, "recently voted on a federal budget bill that would all but guarantee cuts to the Medicaid insurance program, which is known in California as Medi-Cal."

"Although the details will take months to iron out," Hwang explains, "the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report last week indicating that it was impossible for House Republicans to meet their goal of eliminating $880 billion in spending over the next 10 years from the committee that oversees Medicaid and Medicare without cutting from either of the social safety net programs."

Hwang continues, "Medicaid provides health insurance for disabled and low-income people. Medicare insures seniors over 65…. California's behemoth Medicaid program insures 14.9 million people, more than one-third of the state's population. Republicans hold nine House seats in California and represent 2.5 million Medicaid enrollees. All nine voted to approve the House GOP budget bill at the end of February."

One of the Californians who is critical of Medicaid cuts is Josephine Rios, a resident of Orange County south of Los Angeles.

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Rios, whose grandson suffers from cerebral palsy, told CalMatters, "It's not a Republican thing. It's not a Democratic thing. Forget the political BS, this is a human thing. Some people will die without it. Some people’s lives like my grandson's are at risk without it."

Marisol De La Vega Cardoso, senior vice president for Family HealthCare Network, fears having to "cut back on services" because of Medicaid cuts. And Francisco Silva, chief executive of the California Primary Care Association, told CalMatters that Medicaid cuts are "an existential threat from our perspective."

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Read the full CalMatters article at this link.