06.29.25

Cantwell, Red State Leaders Warn Entire Communities Will Suffer if Residents Lose Health Insurance Due to Medicaid Cuts

Misguided legislation would leave 16 million Americans without health insurance; Officials on the ground in MO, UT, and NC say fewer federal resources means more uninsured Americans, cuts in services, and even hospital closures - with states & counties left to pick up the slack

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined local leaders from red states for a virtual press conference to warn that cutting 16 million Americans off of health insurance will put a dramatic strain on the budgets and health of their communities.

"Policies in this legislation hamper the abilities for states to fund their Medicaid programs," said Sen. Cantwell. "To make up for lost federal dollars, state governments will have to consider cutting reimbursements to providers, cutting types of services, cutting people from Medicaid rolls, or raising everyone's taxes. All these decisions lead to poor health outcomes. They increase the cost for taxpayers and strain our healthcare system."

“We have a dramatic shortage of mental health beds in our state, and our jails have come become the largest repository for individuals,” said Steve Hobbs, Missouri Association of Counties Executive Director and former Missouri State Representative (R-21), who called into the virtual presser from inside a skid steer at his farm. “Any changes to the premium tax would have a huge impact on our rural hospitals -- all of our hospitals, our nursing homes, and so we're really concerned about those changes as well.”

"No one knows exactly where the shrapnel will fall, but it will be a very large change to our state budget and the services that we can provide. So I'm really hoping we can find some other, better way forward,” said Utah State Representative Ray Ward (R-19).

In total, 16 million Americans – including over 300,000 Washingtonians –  will lose the health care coverage they need to get regular check-ups, behavioral health care, family planning services, long-term care, urgent care, and more if the pending reconciliation bill passes the U.S. Senate and is signed into law. Those living in rural areas – which have a higher proportion of residents who rely on Medicaid for health insurance coverage, and where smaller hospitals operate on slimmer margins – would be hit hardest.

People without health insurance tend to wait until their health problem is an emergency before seeking care in local hospitals. This leads to more crowded emergency rooms for everyone. And hospitals must factor the uncompensated cost of additional uninsured patients into already strained finances – finances which are especially strained at rural hospitals.

The additional stress and costs to the system will be shared by everyone as premiums rise, hospitals close or cut services, and localities increase taxes to keep up with greater demand for first responders and law enforcement.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published its updated analysis, available here, after the House of Representatives narrowly passed their budget reconciliation bill with over $800 billion in cuts and significant changes to Medicaid. A Joint Economic Committee (JEC) fact sheet, available here, provides updated estimates for all 50 states and D.C. of the estimated number of people losing their health insurance. The JEC data broken down by Congressional District is available here.

Sen. Cantwell was joined at today’s virtual press conference by:

  • Steve Hobbs, Missouri Association of Counties Executive Director and former Missouri State Representative [link to footage]
  • Ray Ward, Utah State Representative (R-19) [link to footage]
  • Kevin Leonard, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Executive Director [link to footage]
  • Wendy Sisk, CEO of Peninsula Behavioral Health
  • Tristan Twohig, Emergency Department Registered Nurse at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane

 Video of today’s virtual press conference is available HERE; a transcript is available HERE.