As Congress is working to impose price range cuts, it has put the soundness of the essential Medicaid program on the chopping block. The management of the U.S. Home of Representatives has set a goal of slicing $880 billion from Medicaid, which can jeopardize the well being of sufferers and communities right here in Washington state. Almost 2 million Washingtonians are lined by Apple Well being, Washington’s statewide Medicaid program, including 800,000 children. Chopping Medicaid — America’s essential well being care security internet — can be each merciless and catastrophic.
Medicaid covers important screenings, contraception, prenatal care and supply. Medicaid performs an outsized function in wholesome pregnancies in Washington. Over 45% of births within the state are lined by Apple Well being. Chopping Medicaid signifies that lots of our sufferers won’t have protection for the prenatal care they want. Moreover, Medicaid covers postpartum well being look after the yr following supply, when nearly all of maternal deaths in Washington state occur. The USA continues to have the very best price of maternal mortality amongst high-income nations, and roughly 80% of maternal deaths are thought-about to be preventable. As we proceed working laborious to stop maternal deaths, defending Medicaid is crucial to our progress.
Medicaid is especially essential for girls in rural Washington, the place it covers over 70% of births in Franklin, Ferry, Grant, Okanagan, Yakima and Adams counties. Our hospitals want Medicaid funding. Provided that 90% of Washington’s hospitals are nonprofit or publicly funded, there isn’t any method to estimate the immense hurt that shall be accomplished by such a big monetary blow. Nationally, 25% of hospitals have closed their labor and delivery units between 2011 and 2021. Likewise, 9 hospitals in Washington state have closed their labor and supply models up to now 5 years, together with Naval Hospital Bremerton, Astria Well being in Toppenish, Group Hospital in Forks and Virginia Mason in Seattle. Struggling hospitals shut their labor and supply models for monetary causes, and if practically half of pregnant ladies will now not have enough medical insurance, extra labor and supply models will seemingly shut. This may affect not solely these at the moment lined by Medicaid, however these with non-public insurance coverage who will even have to journey farther for care. When ladies dwell farther away from obstetric care, we see higher rates of preterm labor and poorer pregnancy outcomes that may end up in long-term well being points for the moms and infants. Lastly, everybody can pay the worth. These with non-public insurance coverage will seemingly face greater well being care prices as hospitals try to offset income losses ensuing from Medicaid cuts.
We ob-gyns are deeply alarmed by the doubtless disastrous affect Medicaid cuts would have on our sufferers. Our job is to make sure that our sufferers are empowered to dwell wholesome lives and have entry to the well being care they want. Whereas Congress continues to deliberate these cuts, one factor is for certain: If Medicaid is minimize in Washington state, ladies — and their households — will bear the brunt of the results. It isn’t too late for us to lift our collective voices in assist of Medicaid and opposition to those steep cuts. The lives of our fellow Washingtonians rely on it.
