The Rev Dr. Rick SchlosserDear Friends,
You may have heard that Congress, to provide a budget for the upcoming year, is looking to cut Medicaid to help make up the deficit that will be caused by tax cuts for the very wealthy. We now know there are GOP as well as Democrats who are objecting to this tactic. This is a good time then to raise our voices!
In addition to the profound harm such cuts will do to those who are poor, homeless, low income, there is a universal harm that will come to our smaller hospitals. Without Medicaid — MediCal in California — those smaller, rural hospitals may have to close.
California used to have a fund for “charity care” that helped hospitals cover costs of treating the uninsured. It was a pittance compared to the costs, and it did not help enough. You might recall that before the Affordable Care Act that passed 2010 expanding Medicaid, we learned that between Bakersfield and Sacramento, there were no trauma hospitals that could afford to stay open. It meant everyone traveling I-5 and US 99, the two main north-south routes between Los Angeles and cities in northern California, had no access to trauma centers in case of an accident or illness along the way.
Our rural and small-town hospitals could not survive. We speak of “food deserts” on hunger, but we had many “health deserts” from hospital closings, the absence of community clinics. That affects us all. MediCal expansion was a lifeline to everyone whether or not they were using it.
Now it’s under threat from massive cuts that will do grave harm everywhere.
Photo courtesy of our friends at SEIU
Please call your House Representative and keep calling! Medicaid — MediCal — is essential to everyone. Please remind Representatives that providing health care was one of Jesus’ first directions to his apostles. In Matthew 10, he tells them first to heal the sick, and only then to spread the word. Health is a fundamental social good, and in this funding issue, cuts to coverage impact everyone.
We have stopped suggesting you call the Capitol switchboard for contact with your Representative since it’s massively overloaded!
Instead, please find the Representative’s Capitol and district numbers here: Find Your Representative | house.gov Please call to save Medicaid funding to keep our nation healthy, our hospitals and community clinics open to everyone. Call often and urge your friends to do the same.
Thank you!!
===================== We Need Your Help! =====================
The California Council of Churches has been at the forefront of many, many social justice and civil rights movements for over 112 years. Like many justice-oriented nonprofits, we have lost most of our financial support since COVID and are working on ways to re-engage in the important work we have done so well for so long. We are currently seeking funding to create an online resource center to help congregations find the best resources to support the social justice ministries they feel their local communities need most from our member denominations, congregations, and partners. If you can help us, please contribute by using the donate button on our website, by PayPal here, or by sending your check to PO Box 980981, West Sacramento CA 95798-0981. If you can help us raise the funding we need from your congregation, judicatory, denomination, or other sources, please contact rick@calchurches.org. Thank you!