Estimated 3,500 Californians Will Die Each Year as a Direct Result of Issa, Kim, Fong, Kiley, LaMalfa, McClintock, Obernolte, Valadao’s Votes

Reckless Cuts, Emergency Room Wait Times Expected to Skyrocket, Hospitals that Rely on Medi-Cal Funding Could be Shut Down

$800 Billion in Cuts Threaten Seniors in Nursing Homes, People with Disabilities, People Fighting Cancer, Children, Veterans, and more

SACRAMENTO, CA – After House Republicans voted to rush through $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid in the dark of night, a vote that will gut Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) and terminate health care for millions of people, the Fight for Our Health campaign released the following statements:

“After making promise after promise to protect Medicaid, Republicans in Congress went back on their word, instead voting to slash $800 billion from the life-saving program. Millions of Californians will lose coverage and access to care, including seniors in nursing homes, people fighting cancer, children, caregivers, veterans, and people with disabilities, and our entire health system will be destabilized,” said Amanda McAllister-Wallner, Executive Director of Health Access California. “Through their cowardly vote, Representatives Kim, Valadao, Calvert, Obernolte, Kiley, LaMalfa, McClintock, Issa, and Fong have sold out the very people they vowed to serve, putting partisan politics ahead of their constituents’ lives.”

“For the last three months, people in Republican-held districts across California have made their voices heard, calling on members like Rep. Young Kim (CA-40) and Rep. David Valadao (CA-22) to save lives and protect Medi-Cal. But instead of listening to their own constituents, they chose to give major tax breaks to wealthy CEOs and powerful corporations – with taxpayers and consumers paying the ultimate price,” said Tia Orr, Executive Director of SEIU California State Council. “Make no mistake, this bill will hurt our entire healthcare system, not just those who will be stripped of care: it will endanger hospitals and clinics, reduce healthcare access, and drive up costs for us all. We will hold our members of Congress accountable for this deadly vote.”

“Thousands of Californians will die as a direct result of losing access to Medi-Cal. Health care costs will skyrocket at a time when families are already stretched to afford groceries and rent. ER wait times will grow longer, and overcrowding will delay critical care,” said Kiran Savage-Sangwan, Executive Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. “As our communities grapple with attacks on our care from all angles, the people we elected to represent us have instead made our lives worse. We will remember their lies, and that they voted to take our care away from our communities to further enrich their own wealthy friends.”

The budget bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

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