Medicaid Cuts? Let Us Stop You Right There.
Cutting health care for the most vulnerable Americans to fund tax cuts should be a non-starter—plus, Medicaid cuts would crater Texas' health care system.
Stop Congress from Cutting our Medicaid!
Congressional leaders are attempting to make deep cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy — which would be devastating for health care in Texas. The next few weeks are a critical time for raising our voices to stop them. Here’s a quick look at what’s at stake, where things stand in Congress, and how you can help — especially if you live in San Antonio, McAllen, Fort Stockton, or another community in one of the key congressional districts.
What’s at Stake
In Texas, Medicaid primarily covers children, seniors in nursing homes, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. These are the Texans who will lose health care if Congress cuts Medicaid. Cutting Medicaid could jeopardize a variety of health care services, including doctor and specialist visits, mental health services; long-term care and nursing home care, and hospital care — especially in rural areas.
While Texans who currently have Medicaid insurance would face the brunt of the cuts, the fact is that slashing Medicaid would hurt all of us. Medicaid is the backbone of the health care system in Texas, providing critical funding to hospitals, clinics, and other health care providers. Federal cuts to Medicaid would also slash states’ funding, leaving states with fewer resources for priorities like education and public safety and putting more pressure on state and local taxes.
Where Medicaid Cuts Stand in Congress
During the next few weeks, House and Senate leaders will be negotiating with each other and other members of Congress to decide on a plan for their “budget reconciliation” bill, which is a type of legislation that can get around the filibuster in the Senate, making it much easier to pass. One of the questions they are stuck on is Medicaid cuts. The House already called for $880 billion in cuts that would be focused mostly on Medicaid, but Congressional leaders are starting to get pushback from voters and others.
They are aiming to reach an agreement on a budget resolution with a target number for Medicaid cuts. Then that resolution would have to pass both the House and Senate. After that, they have to write and pass the legislation with specific cuts.
In other words, there are several steps they still need to take. But the further that Medicaid cuts get in the legislative process, the harder it will be for us to stop their momentum. That means the next few weeks are an ideal time to push Congress to ditch — or at least minimize — any Medicaid cuts in their plan.
How You Can Help
Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to oppose Medicaid cuts! There are multiple ways you can contact them:
Visit this Action Center to easily send an email to your members of Congress about Medicaid.
Send a traditional “snail mail” letter to your members of Congress or give them a call. You can look them up here.
Set up a meeting with the local staff of your members of Congress.
If you live in the districts of Reps. Tony Gonzales or Monica De La Cruz, we particularly need you to take action!
They are the two Texas GOP members of Congress who have raised concerns about Medicaid cuts (although they voted for the resolution in February). We encourage constituents to thank them for speaking out against Medicaid cuts and urge them to vote no on the cuts.
Rep. Tony Gonzales' district 23 includes the west side of San Antonio, Helotes, Del Rio, Alpine, Fort Stockton, Sonora, Hondo, Uvalde, and other communities. You can reach his Capitol office at 202-225-4511 and his San Antonio office at 210-806-9920. Click here to email his office. We can also provide email addresses for his staff upon request. His mailing address is 2239 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz's district 15 includes Seguin, Floresville, Edinburg, McAllen, La Joya, and other communities. The phone number for her Washington office is 202-225-9901. The phone number for her McAllen office is 956-800-6069. She also has several other district offices. Click here to email her office. We can also provide email addresses for her staff upon request. Her mailing address is 1415 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.
Thank you for speaking out to protect our health care!