US Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell deserve our gratitude for opposing the potential $880 billion in federal cuts to Medicaid now on the table in Congress. Cuts of this magnitude would impact the lives of millions of patients across the country, including nearly two million in Washington, who depend on Medicaid for health care coverage.
Our state Medicaid program is already underfunded. Washington’s low Medicaid reimbursements don’t cover the cost of care, with reimbursement rates for specialties among the worst in the nation.
Physicians and clinics simply cannot see all the Medicaid patients who need them. Medicaid patients increasingly must choose whether to travel long distances for care, wait a long time for an appointment, or completely go without. These patients often end up in our emergency departments, where care is much more expensive, with health issues that have progressed due to an inability to access timely care.
House Bill 1392, the Medicaid Access Program, would invest in our Medicaid program and allow Washington’s physicians and practitioners to provide more essential services to Medicaid patients. Join me in urging state lawmakers to pass HB 1392 to promote access to care and fund needed investments in our state’s Medicaid program.
Mark Mantei
Vancouver
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