Washington, D.C. – Monday, April 1 kicks off the seventh annual Medicaid Awareness Month. One in four Americans rely on Medicaid for access to health care, and the program serves people from all backgrounds, including children, mothers, people of color, working families, people with disabilities, rural Americans, and seniors.
President Biden and Democrats in Congress have been champions for lowering health care costs and improving care for the American people. They have defended Medicaid from GOP attacks, created multi-billion dollar incentives for Medicaid expansion, stopped onerous work requirements, pushed for expanded postpartum coverage, and worked to minimize the impacts of Medicaid unwinding. The contrast with Republicans could not be clearer. Republican lawmakers continue to escalate their attacks against Medicaid and affordable health care. The latest GOP budget slashes trillions from Medicaid through block granting and calls for work reporting requirements and other bureaucratic measures designed to throw people off their coverage. GOP leaders in 10 states have also failed to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), blocking 1.6 million people from lifesaving coverage.
Throughout the month of April, Protect Our Care will release reports, publish fact sheets, and host events nationwide with elected officials, storytellers, and health care advocates. These activities will highlight Medicaid’s critical role in America, underscore what needs to be done to protect and strengthen the program, and make clear the dire consequences of the Republican agenda.
To mark the start of Medicaid Awareness Month, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“Medicaid Awareness Month is a celebration of how this vital health care program has touched millions of families across the nation, but it is also an important reminder that Medicaid remains under attack by Republicans. Medicaid coverage improves people’s health, keeps hospitals open, increases families’ financial security, and saves lives. Yet Republicans want to slash Medicaid and throw millions of people off of their coverage.
“Nothing better exemplifies the GOP war on health care than their relentless attacks on Medicaid. Just last week, Republicans proposed their latest plan to slash Medicaid by trillions through block grants and paperwork requirements that are designed to throw people off of their health coverage. At the same time, Republicans in 10 states are blocking Medicaid expansion under the ACA, leaving 1.6 million Americans without a place to turn for affordable health care. President Biden and Democrats in Congress, on the other hand, are working to protect and strengthen Medicaid for years to come.”
The month will include the following themes each week:
- Week 1: Republican threats to Medicaid. Week one will focus on the contrast between President Biden’s work to protect and expand Medicaid versus Republicans’ fight to cut the program and rip coverage away from millions.
- Week 2: Medicaid helps people of color and rural Americans. Week two will highlight how Medicaid is a critical tool to expand access to coverage, which helps narrow stark racial and geographic disparities in health care, improve families’ financial security, and make people healthier.
- Week 3: Medicaid helps women and kids. Taking place during Black Maternal Health Week, week three will bring attention to the vital role of Medicaid for mothers and children across the country.
- Week 4: Medicaid helps seniors and people with disabilities. The final week will focus on how Medicaid helps seniors and people with disabilities access lifesaving care.