VIDEO: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04), VA Deputy HHS Secretary Lauryn Walker Discuss New State Data And Response to GOP Healthcare Cuts

Great stuff as always from Protect Our Care Virginia; oh, and a key point by Katie Baker is that EVERY Republican member of Virginia’s US House delegation voted to slash healthcare funding, thus severely harming their own constituents. That alone should cause every one of those representatives – Rob Wittman (R-VA01), Jen Kiggans (R-VA02), John McGuire (R-VA05), Ben Cline (R-VA06) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA09) – to lose this November. Let’s make it so!

VIDEO: Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, Deputy Secretary of HHR Lauryn Walker Join Protect Our Care Virginia to Discuss New State Data And State Response to GOP Healthcare Cuts

Deputy Secretary Walker Presents New Briefing on Zoom Press Call

RICHMOND, Va. — Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources Lauryn Walker on Friday joined Protect Our Care Virginia to discuss new state data and the latest state response to the devastating federal healthcare cuts passed last year in the Big Ugly Law.

Deputy Secretary Walker offered a new briefing on the latest state data and response to the cuts, with a particular focus on how the coming Medicaid cuts will impact Virginia.

The call laid bare the damage being done across Virginia after every Republican in Virginia’s Congressional delegation voted to slash more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.

“The Spanberger administration is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that eligible Virginians remain covered, despite the new federal requirements and hurdles created by H.R. 1,” said Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources Lauryn Walker. “We’re working closely with partners across the Commonwealth to understand the impact H.R. 1 will have on Virginians and their communities, prepare for what’s ahead, and make sure people have the information and resources they need to navigate these changes.”

While the ultra-wealthy rake in even more, working families in Virginia are footing the bill. People are losing coverage, premiums are skyrocketing, and hospitals are being pushed to the brink.

“That presentation presents a pretty bleak picture of the healthcare safety net in Virginia once the Big Ugly Law’s Medicaid cuts take effect,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “Now, while I’m fighting to fully reverse these cuts at the federal level, I am grateful that at the state level, Governor Spanberger’s administration and the General Assembly have taken steps to try to mitigate the damage these cuts are going to have on Virginians.”

Attacks on healthcare put lives at risk as over 100,000 Virginians have dropped ACA plans due to skyrocketing premiums, and about 300,000 are at risk of losing Medicaid. Hospitals risk closing their doors or reducing services, forcing Virginians to forgo routine doctor’s visits and travel farther for emergency and lifesaving care. Already, over 80 hospital wards, over 40 maternity wards, and nearly 320 clinics have shuttered nationwide. Thanks to Donald Trump and his allies, everyone, everywhere, will pay higher costs, regardless of where they get coverage.

“The families who rely on Medicaid are struggling,” said Rodrigo Soto of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. “Rising gas prices, astronomical child care costs, and overwhelming housing costs disproportionately impact the same families who are now at risk of losing their health care.”

“Since the passage of the Big Ugly Law, I’ve been preparing to lose my Medicaid,” said Julie O’Brien of Richmond. “I tried going off of my oral contraceptive to see if I could save some money there, but ultimately my PMDD symptoms are debilitating, so I had to go back on it. I actually had a doctor’s appointment yesterday to talk about how to manage my care if I lose my Medicaid, and ultimately, I shouldn’t be doing any of those things. I shouldn’t be going off medication to save money or talking to my doctor about how to cut corners. My medical decisions should be based on medical science, not politics.”

“We’re here today because last year every Republican in Virginia’s Congressional delegation voted to pass the Big Ugly Law,” said Katie Baker, Virginia State Director of Protect Our Care. “Now that their constituents are starting to get priced out of their Affordable Care Act plans, Republicans in Congress must reverse these cuts so that we can get as many people as possible back on their health care before coverage losses get even worse with the coming Medicaid cuts.”

Protect Our Care this week released a state fact sheet with toplines on how the health care cuts are impacting Virginia.

Event Assets

• The event can be viewed and shared on Facebook HERE.

• The file of the video recording can be downloaded HERE.

• The slides from the presentation are HERE.
• You can learn more about GOP attacks on health care HERE.