Cantwell Leads Seattle Doctors and Patients in Saying No to Medicaid Cuts

SEATTLE, WA  –Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, held a press conference with Seattle-area health care professionals and patients to discuss the harms that would result from proposed cuts to Medicaid.
“This is a tsunami of cuts coming at the people of Washington and the United States of America,”said Sen. Cantwell,“And I guarantee you this is not a drill.”
Whitney Stohr, advocate and mother ofMalachi, who was born with spina bifida, spoke about Medicaid’s role in her son’s treatment:“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. We couldn’t pay for it then, we couldn’t pay for it now – at least not without Medicaid.”
“For families like mine, for kids like Malachi, Medicaid is the lifeline,”Stohr added.
McKenzi Fish, a childhood cancer survivor and founder of Forever Fighters, who was covered by Medicaid during her fight against Hodgkin lymphoma as a teenager, said:”Fourteen months of my treatments, scans, medications, and tests would have cost her [single mom] $500,000 … Cancer fighters endure many challenges emotionally, mentally, and physically during their fight. Financial worries and complications should not serve as an additional stress to an already exhausting struggle.”
"Cuts of the magnitude that are being discussed are existential for Harborview,”said Sommer Kleweno-Walley, CEO of Harborview Medical Center.“We simply could not exist as we do today if the proposals being discussed were to move forward.”
On February 25, House Republicans voted to advance President Trump’s budget resolution, which proposes up toan $880 billion cutfrom Medicaid.
Also today, Sen. Cantwell released a secondsnapshot reportwith new data showing the crucial role that Medicaid – known as Apple Health in Washington state – plays in funding Seattle-area health care.
“We need everyone to call their member of Congress and the White House and say ‘this level of massive cuts to Medicaid is not what we want,’”said Sen. Cantwell.
Last month, Sen. Cantwell released asnapshot reporthighlighting the impact that slashing Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy would have on the health care system statewide.
Thatsnapshotincluded 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. In the 7thCongressional District, 26% of children and 12% of adults are on Medicaid. In the 9thCongressional District, 56% of children and 21% of adults are on Medicaid.
The other speakers at today's event were Dr. Jason Deen, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and pediatric cardiologist at the University of Washington; Dr. Ettore Palazzo, CEO of Evergreen Health; and Yi-Hui Chi, Behavioral Health Director at Neighborcare Health. Their comments can be viewed on video.
Video of today’s entire press conference isHERE; video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks isHERE; photos areHERE;and a transcript isHERE.
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