Families and providers urge Bentz to open his heart and vote NO when the bill comes to a full vote of the House
ONTARIO — Last week, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz voted to cut Medicaid in the Congressional Energy and Commerce Committee, but Oregonians in his district have been calling and writing to him asking him to stand up for them and not for billionaires when the bill comes up for a final vote.
The budget bill that Congressional Republicans are rushing through the reconciliation process would cut an estimated $715 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, at least 13.7 million Americans, including 8.6 million seniors, children, and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid, and millions of working adults who purchase health insurance with the help of federal subsidies, would stand to lose health care coverage if the plan becomes law.
In Oregon, one in three residents, or 1.4 million people, rely on Medicaid (the Oregon Health Plan) for access to health care, including 70 percent of the children in Rep. Bentz’s district. Medicaid funds care for seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities, working parents, pregnant women, and veterans. Medicaid also supports rural hospitals and community based health care and mental health services across the state.
"I am deeply disappointed that Congressman Bentz voted for this reckless bill. He is ignoring the impact of the bill on rural Oregon," said Andrea Carr, a mother and full-time caregiver from Sprague River. “My daughter has complex medical needs. We can’t afford more red tape, more hoops to jump through, or terminated coverage when we need it most. And when rural health care providers have to close their doors, families like ours will have to travel hours for care. When this bill comes to the floor, I hope Congressman Bentz will vote no and stand up for families like mine — not billionaires."
Over the last decade, Oregon has made historic progress expanding access to health care and reducing the number of uninsured families across the state. Today, 97% of Oregonians have health coverage — one of the highest rates in the nation. Medicaid expansion, which brought coverage to tens of thousands of Oregonians, has strengthened rural hospitals, kept families economically secure, and made communities healthier. Health care providers warn that the proposed federal cuts would reverse decades of work, destabilize Oregon’s health care system, and leave thousands without the care they need.
"Health care professionals know the consequences of denying coverage are stark," said Dr. Stewart Decker, a family physician in Klamath Falls. "A simple infection, easily cured, can escalate into a life-threatening emergency. A missed cancer screening can mean that a diagnosis comes too late for lifesaving treatment. When people don't have health coverage, they don't seek timely care at a primary care clinic — we see them, later and sicker, in the emergency room.”
When health care coverage is disrupted, the consequences don’t end with those directly affected.
"If you take health care away from hundreds of thousands of people, it hurts everyone," said Decker. "When large groups of people lose coverage, we see dramatically higher costs and lower reimbursement, which in turn leads to changes in services offered, resources afforded, and in some cases, hospitals closing. The entire concept of insurance relies on the majority of people having it, which means that as people lose it, the whole population ends up with fewer resources, worse access, and higher premiums. We’re already stretched thin in rural Oregon. If Medicaid gets gutted, it’s not just low-income families who will pay the price — it’s every single person who lives here."
Medicaid also provides a significant amount of mental health services in Oregon. Cuts to coverage and essential services would result in the loss of addiction recovery, mental health, and suicide prevention programs at a time when Oregon is already facing a mental health care shortage.
Charlie White is a community mental health crisis responder and AFSCME member based in The Dalles. She works with a team of five who respond to crisis line calls and referrals from law enforcement and health care providers in three counties.
"In the communities I serve, Medicaid is the only reason many people can get help when they need it," White said. “People think crisis response is just about reacting when something goes wrong. But most of what we do is about preventing harm before it happens — helping people stay connected, stay healthy, and stay safe. If Medicaid is cut, we lose that safety net, and small problems turn into big ones.”
In its analysis of the GOP budget plan, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office clearly states that millions of those who stand to lose health care under the GOP plan are people who continue to meet eligibility requirements for Medicaid but would see their care terminated as a result of new paperwork barriers and administrative hurdles.
“Congressman Bentz has a choice: He can stand with Oregon families and vote no, or he can continue putting his constituents' health and lives at risk to protect tax breaks for Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Trump’s other billionaire friends,” said Carr. “He needs to know that Oregonians are watching, and we expect better.”
The following organizations have come together under the Protect Oregon Now banner to advocate for their communities and protect the essential services that help Oregon thrive:
ACLU of Oregon
AFT-Oregon
APANO Communities United Fund
Basic Rights Oregon
Children's Institute
Climate Solutions
Coalition of Communities of Color
Community Alliance of Tenants
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Family Forward Oregon
Fair Shot
Health Justice Recovery Alliance
Innovation Law Lab
Latino Network
Next Up Action Fund
Oregon AFL-CIO
Oregon AFSCME
Oregon Center for Public Policy
Oregon Education Association
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Health Equity Alliance
Oregon Just Transition Alliance
Oregon Latino Health Coalition
Oregon Law Center
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon Nurses Association
Oregon PTA
Oregon School Employees Association
Oregon State Fire Fighters Council
Oregon Sierra Club
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
Oregon Working Families Party
Our Children Oregon
Our Oregon
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon
PCUN
Rural Organizing Project
SEIU Oregon
Urban League of Portland
Unite Oregon
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