When politicians talk about cutting Medicaid, you might think: “That’s not my fight.” Maybe you get insurance through work. Maybe you’re on your parents’ plan. Maybe you get health care through Medicare or the Veterans Administration.
The truth is Medicaid affects everyone, including you.
Let’s break it down:
Medicaid covers the people who care for you
Medicaid covers 1 in 5 Americans, people who often work essential jobs:
- Child care providers
- Home health aides
- School staff, and tens of millions of other Americans.
If they lose their health care coverage, the services that you rely on will be thrown into chaos.
Medicaid keeps hospitals and clinics running
Medicaid is a lifeline, especially in rural and underserved areas. If Medicaid is cut:
- Hospitals will lose critical revenue.
- Clinics and veterans’ homes will shut down.
- Emergency rooms will be overwhelmed.
Even people with the best insurance will wait longer, pay more, and have fewer health care choices.
Medicaid cuts will mean job losses and economic disaster
Medicaid dollars are a huge source of funding for states. If that funding dries up, public service jobs will be cut. And when millions of Americans lose health care coverage …
- Families will pay more out of pocket.
- Workers will miss more work days due to untreated illnesses.
- Your community won’t be able to function.
This isn’t about cleaning up a program
Let’s be honest: These cuts aren’t really about “efficiency” or “fiscal responsibility.” They’re about harming working families to give tax breaks to billionaires.
You don’t have to be on Medicaid to need Medicaid.
When it’s under attack, we all have something to lose.
That’s why we all need to Get Organized. Get Organized, or AFSCME GO, is all about making sure every AFSCME member knows what’s at stake and joins the fight to protect the services we provide.
The bigger we are, the more power we have to say working people shouldn’t just get by — we demand to thrive.