At the House Energy Committee markup hearing for the GOP budget reconciliation bill, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) slammed Medicaid cuts.
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00:00Mr. Chairman I seek to be recognized. The gentleman from Massachusetts is
00:06recognized for his opening statement. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman when
00:1013.7 million Americans lose access to health care, 13.7 million Americans don't
00:16stop getting sick. What happens instead is losing access to primary and
00:22preventative care, they actually require more health care and they visit the
00:27emergency room and they get care that takes longer and is less comprehensive.
00:32And here's what that means for everyday Americans, middle class and working class,
00:37including those who get access to health insurance through their employer.
00:40It means that their health insurance premiums are going to go up because when
00:44hospitals provide care to people through the emergency rooms, they have to cross
00:48subsidize that by raising the cost that they charge to commercial payers. So it
00:53won't just be the 13.7 million Americans who were kicked off health coverage, who
00:57have to pay more out of pocket to get health care. It's going to be all
01:00Americans who have health insurance who will pay more in health insurance
01:04premiums. This after Donald Trump and Republicans promised that they were
01:07going to come in and lower prices. Down the road, the middle class and the
01:12working class are going to be paying more in taxes and through inflation
01:15because of the seven trillion dollars in debt that Republicans are adding with
01:20this tax cut giveaway to the wealthiest Americans. And those Americans who do end
01:27up needing Medicaid are now going to find that it cannot meet their needs. My
01:33constituent Ethan Wang was critically injured while swimming in the ocean when
01:37he was studying abroad in March 2019. The spinal cord injury left him paralyzed,
01:41needing immediate life-saving surgeries abroad, followed by a medical
01:44evacuation back to his home in Massachusetts. Then, inexplicably, Ethan's dad,
01:52Willis, suffered a major stroke just two years later. He also now has
01:55disabilities but continues to work as best he can. I'm not sure if he meets the
01:59Republicans' definition of work, but he is working as best as he can. All of this
02:03was possible because of Ethan and Willis' determination and support from the
02:07personal care attendant program operated through the Massachusetts Medicaid
02:10program known as MassHealth. When these cuts roll down onto the states, though, the
02:15PCA, as well as other flexible programming, will be under threat. The PCA, which allows
02:21people with disabilities to stay in their homes, they do not have to stay in
02:23expensive institutions, may come on to the chopping block. Ethan's and Willis' family
02:30never thought that they would depend on MassHealth, nor did they seek to, nor did
02:34they want or ask for a handout. They had an accident, they got sick, and they needed
02:41access to health care. The Wang family is a dual professional household in Newton with
02:46three healthy boys. Nobody knows when they will need to rely on Medicaid, but when they
02:51do, they need it to be strong and sound so that it can be a reliable system for
02:54families when they need it most. Ethan's mom says it best, quote, we all live on the
03:00razor's edge of health. And when you need assistance from the state, you see the
03:03world in our social safety net through fresh eyes. I urge my colleagues on both
03:08sides of the aisle to protect Medicaid and the life-saving programs that it
03:12supports. I yield back. The gentleman yields. The gentleman from Louisiana is
03:16recognized for his opening statement. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We've heard so much
03:20today.