Washington D.C. — With just weeks left until the midterm elections, Donald Trump is headed to Bullhead City, Arizona, in a last-ditch effort to win back voters’ support. But no campaign rally can erase the damage that his health care record has imposed on Arizonans. While Trump and Republicans try to change the subject, Arizona families are stuck dealing with rising premiums, lost coverage, and the fallout from GOP health care cuts.
“From Bullhead City to Phoenix, Arizona families are feeling the heat of rising health care costs while Trump rolls back into town hoping to change the subject and dodge accountability.” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “Make no mistake, this is a health care election, and Republicans have a whole lot to answer for. With just weeks left until voters head to the polls, Trump is pulling out all the stops, from flashy rallies to desperate bribes. But the fallout from his health care cuts isn’t going anywhere. Families across Arizona are stretching their medications, skipping checkups, and crossing their fingers that nobody in the family gets sick enough to send them spiraling into debt. So Trump can put on his little show all he wants, but eventually the stage lights will go out, the cameras will leave, and Arizonans will still be stuck paying the price.”
Trump will have plenty of company in Bullhead City, including Representative Andy Biggs, who is now running for governor after happily voting to gut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations last year. Since then, nearly 300,000 Arizonans have lost their health care coverage, while families who relied on the tax credits Republicans gutted have been slammed with estimated average premium increases of 138% this year alone.
And thanks to Republicans like Biggs, Arizona hospitals are projected to lose $383 million over the next decade, putting even more pressure on a health care system already stretched thin. Now, 20 hospitals and health care providers across the state — including one in Bullhead City — have reportedly shuttered their doors, announced closure, or have been identified as at risk of doing so. For Arizona families, that means even more uncertainty about where they’ll turn when they need care.
BY THE NUMBERS: Arizonans Choose Between Paying More Or Foregoing Health Care Coverage
- An estimated 291,572 Arizonans have already lost the Medicaid, CHIP, or ACA coverage they counted on to see a doctor after Republicans gutted health care.
- Premiums for Arizonans who counted on the health tax credits Republicans gutted
increased by an average of 138% this year:
- A 45-year-old in Arizona making $64,000 saw their average annual premium costs rise by $1,773 to hit $7,213 this year.
- A 60-year-old couple in Arizona making $85,000 saw their average annual premium costs rise by $19,890 to hit $27,115 this year.
- A family of four in Arizona making $130,000 saw their average annual premium costs rise by $9,361 to hit $20,411 this year.
- Hospital systems nationwide are already reporting a surge in uninsured patients after Republicans ripped away health tax credits. Arizona hospitals and clinics are facing a $383 million loss in funding and a 16.9% spike in uncompensated care demand that will affect their ability to keep their doors open.
- Arizona hospitals alone are also expected to lose $31.8 billion over the next decade due to GOP Medicaid cuts. As of October, 20 Arizona health care providers are at-risk, announced cuts, are closing, or have closed, including:
- AT-RISK: Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital, Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center, Copper Queen Community Hospital, North Country Healthcare, Page Hospital, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Winslow Memorial Hospital
- CUTS ANNOUNCED: Flagstaff Medical Center
- CLOSURE ANNOUNCED: Banner Casa Grande Medical Center – Labor & Delivery, Parker Medical Center, Select Specialty Hospital – Tucson East
- CLOSED: Evernorth Care Group – Arrowhead Ranch, Evernorth Care Group – Chandler, Evernorth Care Group – Paradise Valley, Evernorth Care Group – Paseo, Evernorth Care Group – Scottsdale Norte, Evernorth Care Group – Sun City, Evernorth Care Group – Westridge, North Country HealthCare – Bullhead City, The Hope Institute at CUSD