Rep. Salinas Hosts Roundtable with Health Care Providers to Highlight Harmful Cuts in Republican Budget
Tualatin, OR – Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) hosted a roundtable with Oregon health care providers to highlight how Republicans’ Medicaid cuts in the Big, Ugly Bill will hurt patients and providers. Medicaid, known in Oregon as the Oregon Health Plan, covers more than 223,000 people in Rep. Salinas’ district, and the Big, Ugly Bill threatens access to preventive and routine services, increases strain on emergency departments, and puts rural hospitals and clinics at risk of closure.
“Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill makes more than a trillion dollars in cuts to health care nationally,” said Rep. Salinas. “As a result, Oregonians are going to lose their health coverage, premiums will increase, rural hospitals and clinics could be forced to close, and everyone’s care will suffer. I’m grateful to Oregon’s health care leaders for sharing their frontline perspectives on how the bill will impact them directly. Oregonians deserve to hear loud and clear what these devastating cuts mean for patients, providers, and our entire system of care. I won’t stop fighting until everyone has the care they deserve.”
The roundtable brought together representatives from the Oregon Nurses Association, the Oregon Health Authority, and hospitals and clinics.
Analysts estimate the impact of the bill could be devastating for Oregonians. For people who lose their health coverage, they lose access to preventative care, treatment for chronic conditions, and potentially lifesaving interventions. In practice, families could be forced to choose between putting food on the table or paying for an inhaler.
In addition to patients on the Oregon Health Plan, the bill also threatens the nearly 40 rural hospitals across Oregon, four of which are at high risk of closure because of the Big, Ugly Bill. At rural clinics, the cuts could lead to layoffs, which will increase wait times. Other clinics will be forced to close entirely, shifting the burden to emergency rooms and then hospitals. That means costlier treatment for some and delayed care for others.
At the event, Rep. Salinas reaffirmed her commitment to protecting the Oregon Health Plan to make sure every family can see a doctor and afford their prescriptions.
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