More than 300,000 Virginians are at risk of losing access to affordable healthcare

VIRGINIA – As Republicans continue to push for Donald Trump’s agenda that could leave more than 300,000 Virginians without access to affordable healthcare, Winsome Earle-Sears still refuses to oppose the proposed cuts. Sears has repeatedly refused to comment on the cuts to Medicaid and even ejected a reporter from a campaign event to avoid being questioned about her silence. 

“As Republicans in Congress carry out Trump’s dangerous agenda, Winsome Earle-Sears is still refusing to stand up for the Commonwealth and oppose the Medicaid cuts that will put access to affordable healthcare at risk for more than 300,000 Virginians. Sears must stop hiding and explain why she’s putting Trump’s agenda before Virginians,” said DPVA Spokesperson Maggie Amjad.

What Virginians are Reading: 

The Virginian-Pilot: Column: Federal spending bill would sever ‘vital link’ for health care

• As a family physician who has practiced in Hampton Roads for more than 17 years, I’ve had the privilege of caring for thousands of families — from newborns to grandparents. Time and again, I’ve seen how access to health care saves lives. And for many in our community, Medicaid is the vital link that makes that care possible.
• In Virginia, Medicaid covers more than a third of postpartum parents and newborns, 1 in 13 veterans, and is a lifeline for adults in rural communities. 
• The consequences of lost coverage ripple outward. Family practices such as mine run on razor-thin margins. When patients lose coverage, we’re forced to make hard choices: reducing staff, cutting services or closing altogether.
• These cuts would raise barriers to care and drive up costs for all Virginians. When patients delay or avoid care due to lack of coverage, they often end up in the ER with more serious, more expensive conditions. That’s not just bad for business — it’s bad for public health.
• Beyond insurance cuts, the bill also threatens the future of health care access by making it harder for students to become physicians.
• I urge my fellow community members to contact our elected officials and speak out against these harmful cuts. Consider the children, new mothers, veterans and rural families who will lose coverage — and the far-reaching impact these policies will have on patients, providers and students across Virginia.

12 on Your Side: Virginia hospitals closely watching lawmakers debate federal spending cuts

• The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is now sounding the alarm over potential cuts to Medicaid. About two million Virginians depend on the service.
• [Julian Walker, VHHA spokesperson]  says that the Senate version could make even deeper cuts, costing Virginia hospitals $2.5 billion each year.
• “That’s really what’s at stake here. The survival of hospitals, the stability of hospitals, patients’ access to care and of course the economy because hospitals are major employers,” said Walker.

Cardinal News: Virginia hospitals bracing for Medicaid changes

• A budget and tax bill moving through Congress could devastate rural hospitals across Southwest Virginia, potentially forcing closures, major job losses and cuts to essential services, health care leaders are warning.
• Levine said that the proposed cuts to Medicaid provider taxes and state-directed payments would trigger major job losses in a region still recovering from the decline of industries like coal and textiles, where health care is one of the few remaining economic anchors.
• If the bill passes as written, Ballad officials say the system could lose more than $200 million annually, crippling hospitals that are already operating on thin margins. 
• The American Hospital Association and its state chapters are already urging Congress to revise the Senate bill and adopt measures to protect rural health care access.
• O’Connor predicts Virginia could see rural hospital closures within 12 to 18 months if the Senate plan moves forward.

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