Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell deserve our gratitude for opposing the potential $880 billion in federal cuts to Medicaid now on the table in Congress. Cuts of this magnitude would impact the lives of millions of patients across the country, including nearly 2 million in Washington, who depend on Medicaid for health care coverage.
What’s more, in Washington state, federal cuts to Medicaid funding would cripple an already underfunded program. As it stands, Washington’s low Medicaid reimbursements don’t cover the cost of care, with reimbursement rates for specialists among the worst in the nation. Physicians and clinics simply cannot see all the Medicaid patients who need them. As a result, Medicaid patients increasingly must choose whether to travel long distances for care, wait a long time for an appointment, or completely go without. These patients often end up in our emergency departments, where care is much more expensive, with health issues that have progressed due to an inability to access timely care.
Right now in Olympia, there is a bill in the Legislature, House Bill 1392, the Medicaid Access Program, that would invest in our Medicaid program and allow Washington’s physicians and practitioners to provide more essential services to Medicaid patients.
Join me in urging state lawmakers to pass HB 1392 to promote access to care and fund needed investments in our state’s Medicaid program. And please contact your representatives in Congress and urge them not to slash federal support for Medicaid for the sake of tax cuts for the wealthy.
Dr. Alexander M. Hamling
Seattle
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