Patients, Doctors, and Senators Speak Out Against Health Care Cuts in President’s Budget
President Trump’s Budget Cuts $1.6 Trillion in Medicaid, Medicare, and other Heath Care Funding that Supports Families Across the Country
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DPCC Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray, and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden today spoke out against the President’s attacks on health care. Patients and doctors joined the senators to highlight how the President’s budget puts health care for families across the country at risk.
A video of the press conference can be found here.
“Health care is personal for all of us, not political. This is the fourth year in a row that President Trump has put the American people last when it comes to health care. Every year, he says he is not going to cut Medicare and Medicaid, and he turns right around and cuts them in the budget. It’s time for this President to put people above politics,” said Senator Stabenow.
“The President’s budget proposal makes clear that his pledge at the State of the Union—that he’d protect Americans with pre-existing conditions—is nothing more than a big, brazen lie,” said Leader Schumer. “Under President Trump’s proposal, we’d see $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act tax credits, hundreds of billions in cuts to Medicare, and millions of American lives in jeopardy over the next ten years. The Trump administration’s real priority is the complete and utter destruction of our health care system, but Democrats refuse to let this stand.”
“We know President Trump likes to pick winners and losers, and in his budget—like so much else he does—the few who are very, very wealthy and the biggest corporations win, but families nationwide who need affordable, quality health care lose. I am sure the President is hoping enough people will not notice his lies, or will not look too hard at how harmful his policies would be to patients and families. But we are making clear Democrats do notice—as do people across the country—and we are not going to stop standing up for patients or shining a spotlight on how badly his plans would hurt people we represent,” said Senator Murray.
“At the precise moment Trump claimed he would defend pre-existing condition protections, his lawyers were pushing a lawsuit that would rip them away from all Americans, and his budget officials were putting the finishing touches on a ‘vision’ that spells the end of health care as Americans know it today. Trump's plan for health care has nothing to do with lowering your costs or preserving protections for pre-existing conditions, and everything to do with making cuts that will finance additional tax giveaways for the wealthy,” said Senator Wyden.
Cristina Perez Edmunds, whose son, Oscar, was born with an extremely rare chromosomal deletion, joined the senators. Because of this diagnosis, Oscar lives with stage 3 kidney disease, heart disease, and brain abnormalities, which has required endless testing, appointments, and surgeries. Because of Medicaid, Oscar’s parents can allow him every opportunity to gain independence, without going bankrupt.
“I am a proud mom to Oscar, who is a strong, beautiful boy with a rare chromosomal deletion. For my family, and many families out there, Medicaid is literally a lifesaver. Yesterday, President Trump released his new budget, which included detrimental cuts to Medicaid. This will without a doubt reduce or eliminate accessibility to the lifesaving benefits that medically complex children like mine rely on to survive and thrive. Without Medicaid, families like ours would be bankrupt,” said Cristina Perez Edmunds.
A family medicine physician, Krishnan Narasimhan, also spoke at the press conference to highlight the ways the Administration is sabotaging the health care of families in America. Krishnan is a professor at Howard University and serves on the board of Doctors for America.
“I am a family medicine physician. My patients tell me every day that they are worried about coverage and affordability. If the Adminstration’s proposal goes through and Medicaid and Medicare are cut, patients will not be able to get the care they need to live a long and happy life. That is the reality for millions of Americans, and that is why these short-sighted cuts are something we should oppose,” said Dr. Narasimhan. “Additionally, my patients are struggling with the sky-rocketing costs of prescription drugs. The Administration needs to back up their talk and actually get something done for the many Americans who are not able to afford their insulin or EpiPens. All of us, patients, families, doctors, and lawmakers oppose serious cuts that will shatter the safety net and reduce coverage for millions of Americans. We stand united to work together to make the vision of a high quality, affordable health system for all Americans a reality.
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