Over the past week, health care advocates and everyday Americans from coast to coast have been sounding the alarm over the GOP spending bill that will kick 16 million Americans off their health care in order to hand out tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. The Republican bill makes the biggest cut to American health care in history, decimating Medicaid and dismantling the Affordable Care Act. People are yelling from the rooftops, warning about the devastation the GOP plan will cause—seniors will be thrown out of nursing homes, rural hospitals will shutter, children and people with disabilities will lose coverage, and people with serious medical conditions like cancer will be forced to stop treatment. Every single community will feel the effects of Donald Trump and Republicans’ big, ugly bill.
ALASKA
Anchorage Daily News: Opinion: Medicaid Cuts Will Put Alaska Hospitals and Alaskans’ Health Care at Risk. Our Senators Need to Step Up.
Philip Hofstetter, AuD is the CEO of Petersburg Medical Center, an independent community critical access hospital serving Petersburg Borough in Southeast Alaska.
- “I have worked for over 30 years to improve health outcomes for rural Alaska communities in both Northwest and Southeast Alaska. All over this state, the truth is that all Alaskans depend on people who depend on Medicaid. They are our relatives, our friends, our childcare providers, the people who fish and hunt and farm to feed us. They are our neighbors. Regardless of what talking points come out of Washington, D.C., the data is clear: the majority of the people covered by Medicaid already work full-time. And when they are uninsured, the impact ripples across entire communities.”
Anchorage Daily News: Opinion: Big Beautiful Bill Is a Big Betrayal to Alaska and Alaskans.
- “Three Trump cabinet officials concluded their recent visit to Alaska with an opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News pitching an energy renaissance in our state that only the “Big Beautiful Bill” can bring about. But we Alaskans should question what these Outsiders are selling. For starters, what the Trump-endorsed bill fundamentally does is provide more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, paid for mainly by raiding Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps. It would increase the federal deficit by an estimated $3 trillion.”
Anchorage Daily News: Opinion: Planned Parenthood Is Crucial to Protecting Alaska Survivors of Trafficking and MMIR.
- “Survivors rely on low-barrier, trauma-informed services to access care without fear, shame, or financial hardship. Removing this access would strip away one of the few consistent lifelines available to those navigating violence and exploitation. If we are truly committed to building a safer, more just Alaska, we must ensure that all people — especially those at highest risk — can access care that honors their dignity, safety, and humanity. Preserving Medicaid eligibility for Planned Parenthood is essential to supporting survivors and safeguarding our communities with the respect they deserve.”
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Opinion: What Would Don Young Have Done?
- “It is important for Alaskans to understand that there is no way the state will be able to make up the difference for these cuts — we simply do not have the budgetary flexibility. Even when the 90-10 revenue split goes into effect in 10 years, that will not cover the entire loss of Medicaid funding, and in the meantime, we will be left in an even more financially vulnerable position with the delayed effective date of that provision. Put succinctly, Alaskans will die because of these Medicaid cuts.”
Alaska Beacon: Opinion: The Big, the Bad and the Ugly, Even for Alaskans
- “The Republican bill also cuts $793 billion from Medicaid. This would result in 279,000 Alaskans (that’s approximately 38 % of our population) being at risk of insufficient health coverage. Jared Kosin, president and CEO of the Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association, said if Congress makes substantial cuts to Medicaid, ‘It would be catastrophic, not only for the health care system, [but] for Alaskans across our entire state.’ Add in the elimination of renewable energy tax credits, you get a lot ‘ugly’ in this bill that negatively affects Alaskans.”
Alaska Beacon: Alaskans Rally Across the State for Democracy and ‘No Kings’ Protest Against Trump
- “Stephanie Schulling held a protest sign reading, “no sign is big enough for all the reasons I’m here.” She said as a social worker, she feels an ethical responsibility to show up and protest ‘the issues with people being disappeared, the issues with DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), the issues with the possibility of Medicaid, Social Security, you know, all those sorts of safety nets going away. It’s unthinkable.’”
Anchorage Daily News: Thousands Show for Anti-Trump Protest in Downtown Anchorage; Crowds Rally in Other Alaska Communities
- “I’m fighting for democracy,” said 68-year-old Chris Evans. “I’m fighting for women’s rights, equality, fairness, no hypocrisy, double-standards. I’m just fighting for all of it to have our country united again, and all be on the same page being American.”
Alaska’s News Source: ‘Keep Our Democracy Going’: Thousands Take to the Streets of Anchorage for ‘No Kings’ Protest
- “‘There’s a real sense of community in Alaska and we’re here for each other and we want to see the best outcomes this new budget bill that’s coming out, [the] cuts to Medicaid is going to have an extreme ripple effect within Alaska and having our communities deeply affected,’ Protest Carly said.”
Alaska Native News: Homer Residents Rally to Protect South Peninsula Hospital and Medicaid.
- “Wednesday, more than 50 residents, caregivers, and health care advocates gathered in Karen Hornaday Park and marched to South Peninsula Hospital as part of Save Our Hospitals Week, raising their voices against federal proposals to slash Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding. The rally called attention to the devastating impact these cuts would have on rural hospitals across Alaska, including South Peninsula Hospital—a nationally ranked Critical Access Hospital that provides essential services to the southern Kenai Peninsula.”
Homer News: Point Of View: Not Fishing For Favors — Alaskans Need Basic Health Care Access
- “We work on boats, in processing plants, and on the docks, often in seasonal or contract jobs that do not come with insurance. Still, we show up and do the work without asking for special treatment. What we do need is access to basic health care. When you get hurt, a broken wrist or a torn knee, you cannot just push through it. That is why DenaliCare, Alaska’s version of Medicaid, matters. It helps people like me and thousands of other Alaskans get the care they need when buying private insurance just is not possible. Right now, that care is at risk.”
IOWA
TV Clips
- KCCI: “Vigil” for Medicaid
- WHO13: Advocates Hold a “Protect Our Care” Vigil Outside Senator Ernst’s Office
USA Today/Yahoo News: Opinion: I Lived My Worst Nightmare – But Medicaid Made My Daughter’s 14 Months Possible
- “I lived the gift of Medicaid, and I see the daily support Medicaid provides in our community. A deacon in my congregation is on Medicaid. He lives on a fixed income, so he walks to work and to church, and yet, he’s the first one there every Sunday morning. He makes the coffee. He prepares the communion trays. One Sunday, when a gentleman quietly weeped after the loss of his beloved wife of 72 years, this deacon gently placed his hand on his shoulder and held the communion tray until he was ready to be served. The patience and comfort our deacon showed that day is what Medicaid provides for Iowans. It doesn’t provide everything, just a gentle hand as we face the challenges of life.”
MAINE
TV Clips
- WGME: Garrett Martin, CEO of the Maine Center of Economic Policy, Sits Down With CBS13 to Talk About Medicaid Cuts Threatening Rural Hospitals.
Lewiston Sun Journal: Opinion: Medicaid Cuts a Disaster in the Making for Maine
- “These cuts aren’t just an attack on health care — they’re an economic disaster in the making. Stripping people of their coverage will force more uninsured patients into emergency rooms, increasing costs for hospitals and taxpayers. Medicaid ensures that people can afford preventive care, reducing avoidable hospital admissions and keeping our workforce healthy. Slashing it will lead to financial strain on hospitals, higher insurance premiums and a less productive economy.”
Bangor Daily News: Opinion: Cutting Medicaid Will Harm Maine’s Most Vulnerable
- “Sen. Susan Collins has a renewed opportunity to be a champion for people with disabilities by opposing these devastating cuts. In April, she voted with Democrats opposing the budget resolution that would likely require cuts in Medicaid programs. Now, with the Senate aiming to pass its version of a reconciliation package by July 4, the senator faces a critical decision. Will she support a bill that slashes essential programs like Medicaid, or will she stand up for the Maine families who rely on these services and have no meaningful alternatives?”
VIRGINIA
TV Clips
- WRIC: Health Care Advocates Voice Opposition on Sears’ Silence on Medicaid Cuts
Richmond Free Press: Protesters Call Out Sears’ Silence on Medicaid Cuts
- “Dozens of union workers, healthcare professionals and local residents rallied outside the Hippodrome Theater on Tuesday, June 17, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears held her election night party for the Virginia governor’s race.”
WEST VIRGINIA
TV Clips
- WOWK: Medicaid and SNAP Benefits Facing Cuts, Advocates Ask for WV Senators’ Help
West Virginia Watch: WV Health Care Organizations Again Call On Capito, Justice Not To Support Cuts To Snap, Medicaid
- “Set up across the street from the federally funded Cabin Creek Health Care Center, advocates, clients and healthcare providers spoke out against the federal budget bill that – if passed in its current form – would cut $700 billion in Medicaid funding. Rally organizers said the cuts would be catastrophic for West Virginians who rely on the program, including 49,000 seniors, 196,000 children, and 86,000 people with disabilities.”
WV Public Broadcasting and West Virginia News: Medicaid Rally Protests Proposed Budget Cuts
- “Full time care-giver Mariah Plante from Wyoming County told the crowd how Medicaid is a lifeline for her disabled brother Matt. ‘Resources for families like ours are limited out where we live in the holler, but Medicaid provides his medical care, his eyeglasses, behavioral support, prescriptions and access to specialists that we could never afford on our own. Most importantly, Medicaid allows for us to care for Matt at home where he’s loved, not in a facility.’”
WCHS: West Virginians Rally Against Proposed $700 Billion Medicaid Cuts at Press Conference.
- “‘There are seven hospitals that will probably close fairly quickly because they’re on razor-thin margins,’ Allen said. ‘When people in communities don’t have access to health care, that means if they go to the hospital, the hospitals are going to have uncompensated care. The hospitals cannot remain open without some form of payment.’”
WV Metro News: Community Groups: Watch Out for Congressional Changes to Medicaid and Snap.
- “‘Cutting Medicaid doesn’t just hurt patients; it threatens the jobs of the frontline healthcare workers who care for the patients. Some of the largest employers in the state are hospitals, nursing homes and home healthcare providers who rely on Medicaid to keep the doors open,’ McKinney said. ‘Cuts to Medicaid will mean layoffs, short staffing and increased pressure on an already strained healthcare workforce.’”
WDTV: Health Officials Hold Conference in Charleston, Talk Medicaid and Snap Concerns.
- “‘Let me be absolutely clear, cuts to Medicaid- cuts our lifeline,’ Said McKinney. ‘In a state like ours, nearly 1 in 3 West Virginians rely on Medicaid. The consequences of federal cuts won’t be measured in spreadsheets, it’ll be measured in lost jobs, closed clinics, struggling families, unnecessary suffering, and people will die.’”
Charleston Gazette-Mail: ‘Devastating Consequences’: Local Advocates Urge Senate To Reject Proposed Snap Cuts
- “‘Most of these people are working families, or families have dedicated their life to West Virginia’s workforce, who are now retired and raising grandfamilies,’ Alecia Allen, co-executive and clinical director at Keep Your Faith Corp., a Charleston community support group, said at a gathering Tuesday at the Cabin Creek Health Systems Westside Health clinic in Charleston to rally food and health care access support. ‘Those families need to be connected to healthy food.’”
Times-West Virginian: WV Health Care Organizations Again Call On Capito, Justice Not To Support Cuts To Snap, Medicaid
- “‘Right now, as we stand here on the West Side of Charleston, West Virginia, in Washington, D.C., they are making cruel calculations,’ said Lida Shepherd, a representative of the American Friends Service Committee, which helped host the event. ‘ How big of a handout of our tax dollars can be given to the wealthiest families and corporations … [while] taking SNAP and Medicaid away from all of us? Will we let them get away with playing political chess with our lives? No.’”
West Virginia Watch: Opinion: The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Threatens the Work Done on the Overdose Crisis in West Virginia.
- “Patients don’t need more hurdles and barriers to care, especially the many who are already in poor health, disabled, dealing with substance use disorders, or living in challenging circumstances. They have enough to juggle without the risk of losing their health care hanging over their heads every single month.”
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Opinion: Unnecessary Deaths Easily Preventable.
- “Recently, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst stirred up controversy by dismissing concerns like these, saying ‘we are all going to die.’ Maybe so. But working-class people don’t have to die prematurely in the tens of thousands every year just to enrich the wealthiest. This is totally preventable.”
