Rep. Adelita Grijalva, Medicaid Recipients, & AZ Health Experts Issue Warning About Medicaid Cuts That Are Endangering Patients’ Access to Lifesaving Care

Phoenix, AZ – Today, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Arizona-based medical professionals, public health experts, and Medicaid recipients joined a press call alongside Unrig Our Economy, Honest Arizona, and the Committee to Protect Health Care to warn Arizonans how Medicaid cuts, resulting from the Republican Tax Law, threaten their health coverage and access to critical care.

The call comes as Medicaid enrollees across Arizona began receiving notices last month about potentially losing access to Medicaid as a result of cuts included in the Republican Tax Law. Advocates have outlined how these cuts could prevent vulnerable populations from access to lifesaving medical care, including Americans battling cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses, as well as people with disabilities. Republicans in Congress, like Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), voted for the law.

During the call, speakers outlined these impacts, and also highlighted the additional, far-reaching consequences that these cuts will have on Arizonans. Specifically, the call touched on the harm that Medicaid cuts will have on hospitals, community clinics, and the cost of health care for the wider population. Thousands of Arizonans are already feeling the impact of these cuts, and the speakers on this call warn about what could happen as these cuts continue to take effect. 

Watch the full press call here

“When you gut Medicaid, you also gut our hospitals in our rural communities, places like Nogales and Bisbee. That is a matter of survival. These cuts don't save money; they just shift the cost from preventative care to more expensive emergency rooms,” said Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07). “To the politicians who put billionaires over families, we see you. To those who claim there isn't enough money for healthcare while spending billions on endless wars and corporate giveaways. We don't believe you.”

“For many families, Medicaid is not simply a government program. It's the difference between getting care and going without it. It's the difference between managing chronic illness and ending up in the emergency room. It's the difference between being between stability and having to make impossible choices,” said Andrés Portela, Health Equity Manager at Pima County Health Department. “We're also seeing these pressures intersect with food insecurity and other economic challenges. Families are not experiencing changes to Medicaid and SNAP in isolation; they are experiencing them together.”

“If your local hospital closes, it doesn't matter if you have Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance – that hospital is still gone,” said Anisa Gonzalez, Senior Extraordinary Services Specialist at Banner Health. “Health care is an interconnected system. When we remove funding from one part, the consequences don't stay neatly contained to one group of patients. They ripple outward, affecting the availability, accessibility, and affordability of care for the entire community.”

“Losing health insurance doesn't make someone healthier. It doesn't make their medical needs disappear. It just makes those needs harder and more expensive to address,” said Dr. Eve Shapiro, a pediatrician in Tucson for over 40 years. “These cuts represent real people who will lose access to doctors, medications, and treatments that keep them healthy and, in some cases, keep them alive. Losing health insurance doesn't make someone healthier. It doesn't make their medical needs disappear. It just makes those needs harder and more expensive to address, and that's why the new federal Medicaid work requirements are so troubling.”

“The Medicaid cuts will directly affect all of my patients, and I know this because past Medicaid cuts have already left many of my patients unable to access necessary care. I see it every day in the shift in the ICU,” said Maria Manzanarez, an ICU Nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital. “So many of my patients are suffering, and the expensive medical care could have been avoided if health care was treated as a human right in our country. Nurses bear the trauma of witnessing patients make life or death decisions based on their bank account. And in preparation for this upcoming Medicaid cuts, my hospital is already laying off clinical staff, which means worse care standards for our patients. It doesn't have to be this way.”

“Each step I take today is possible because of the Medicaid I receive and the support that allows me to build a more independent life. For someone like me, Medicaid isn't just an insurance card. It's access to doctor's visits and physical therapy and Medicare allows me to live a more independent life. And I'm far from alone in this,” said Garrett Newell, Tucson native and resident who lives with cerebral palsy. “Losing that coverage doesn't mean our medical needs disappear. It just means families are left with impossible choices, and treatments are delayed and health problems…can become medical emergencies in the future. For me, Medicaid has meant the difference between being able to walk and potentially losing the independence I worked my entire life to achieve.”

“Losing access to critical programs like Medicaid is truly devastating, especially at a time when people are already struggling with rising costs, from groceries and gas to utilities; everything is more expensive,” said Andrea Moreno, Executive Director of Honest Arizona. “These cuts are forcing families to make really tough decisions and often life-threatening ones. These aren't just numbers, these are real people who need care. 

“The experts and health care professionals on this call have made one thing crystal clear – the cuts to programs like Medicaid included in the Republican Tax Law have only benefited the wealthiest Americans, while jeopardizing lifesaving health care for working Arizona families,” said Unrig Our Economy Campaign Director Leor Tal. “As hundreds of thousands of Arizonans begin to receive notices about their access to care, it’s important to remember that everyone is going to feel the cost of these Medicaid cuts, and the consequences could be dire.”

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About Unrig Our Economy

Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.

About Honest Arizona

Honest Arizona is a grassroots advocacy campaign aimed at giving a voice to Arizonans concerned about their future and holding Arizona elected leaders accountable for their records on health care, economic relief, and voting rights. The campaign will engage in issue advocacy through community events and through the media. 

About The Committee to Protect Health Care

The Committee to Protect Health Care is a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive.