Press Release
Posted:
Sonoma, CA – Tuesday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) joined administrators and staff at Sonoma Valley Community Health Center for a tour of their facilities and a discussion on how residents of Sonoma and surrounding areas will be impacted by the President and Congressional Republicans’ newly enacted H.R. 1, which cut health care coverage for 15 million Americans. Reporting shows that these deep cuts to Medi-Cal put local hospitals and clinics at risk of reducing services or shutting down altogether.
“Every single Californian should be concerned by this law. One in three Californians rely on Medi-Cal, which means one-third of health care in California is paid for through Medi-Cal. At best, without this funding, clinics will be forced to cut back on services, fire specialists, and reduce staff. At worst, clinics will shut down altogether. Even if you have private insurance or all the money in the world to pay for care, if your nearest hospital or clinic has been forced to reduce its services or shut down, you won’t get the treatment you need,” said Thompson.
“If that weren’t enough, this administration has just capped student loan borrowing for medical students and slashed biomedical research funding. This means fewer new doctors, fewer new treatments for diseases, and tighter margins for providers. This is a race to the bottom — and our community is paying the price.”
On July 4, the president signed into law H.R. 1, legislation that cuts health care coverage for 15 million Americans across the United States.
In addition, the bill cuts funding to hospitals by limiting the payments that state Medicaid programs can make to hospitals, long-term care providers, and many other cash-strapped providers so they can stay in business and provide the services residents need. The bill also cuts off a state’s ability to generate the funds they need to support their Medicaid programs—including payments to struggling hospitals—through a provider tax.
Local providers and clinicians at health centers like Sonoma Valley Community Health Center warn that these effects will be drastic and devastating.
“Our patients are teachers, small business owners, farm workers, and so many others who form the fabric of Sonoma Valley. When funding cuts threaten our obstetrics care, mental health services, and chronic disease management, it ripples throughout our community. When people can't access preventative care, where do they go? Our emergency rooms become clogged while people face preventable medical crises. It's not just individual patients who suffer, but the entire foundation that keeps our community healthy and thriving,” said Sara Brewer, CEO, Sonoma Valley Community Health Center.