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Medicaid cuts affect every Iowan
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President Donald Trump and Iowa Republicans are working overtime to cut more than $800 billion in Medicaid funding to pay for a grotesque tax cut for their fat cat donors.
These cuts will hurt every Iowan’s access to essential health care services. Whether you have private health insurance from your employer, Medicare or Medicaid, we all share the same doctors, nurses, specialists, emergency rooms and nursing home workers. When Republicans cut Medicaid insurance, all our health care providers have fewer financial resources to hire and pay the salaries and benefits of all the people that care for all of us.
Iowa has a shortage of every type of health care provider, including doctors, nurses, direct care workers, pharmacists and emergency room staff. This is especially the case in rural hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. Cutting Medicaid insurance funding will only make these shortages grow and shutter rural providers.
Cutting Medicaid also will increase the number of people without health insurance. Uninsured Iowans still get sick, need and get care. More uninsured Iowans will increase the financial stress already on the health care providers we all rely on when they are forced to eat the costs of caring for these uninsured patients.
Iowa has a huge cancer problem. In 2025, 21,000 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer. Do you think it will be easier to get cancer care for you or a family member by making it harder for fewer and overworked health care providers to care for you? The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics our largest provider of cancer care is targeted with hundreds of millions in cuts.
Trump and Iowa Republicans are slashing Iowa’s Medicaid insurance program to pay for more tax cuts so ultra rich people can become even richer. Meanwhile, everyday Iowans pay their taxes and struggle to get ahead and make ends meet. During his campaign, President Trump and many other Republican politicians promised that he would not cut Medicaid.
Contact Sens. Grassley and Ernst now and tell them they have the power to keep Trump’s promise or make him a liar.
Joe Bolkcom is a former Democratic state senator representing Iowa City. He lives in Des Moines
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