North Dakota Republican Asks: ‘Why don’t we go after [Medicare]?’

DES MOINES – Iowa House Republicans Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn, Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra have already voted for the largest Medicaid cuts in US history to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Will Medicare be next?

Yesterday Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, told NBC that Republicans shouldn’t be afraid of making cuts to Medicare.

“Why don’t we go after that? I think we should,” Cramer said.

Will Nunn, Miller-Meeks, Hinson and Feenstra vote to take away health care for even more Iowans? Do they agree with Joni Ernst that “we are all going to die?” How low are Republicans willing to go?

“Iowans deserve to know how low Republicans are willing to go to rip away access to Iowans’ health insurance and to suffocate our rural hospitals that rely on Medicaid and Medicare funding,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart. “Do they have any empathy for the Iowans they represent or do they agree with Joni Ernst’s callous statement- ‘we’re all going to die?’  so no need to look for help from their Congressional representatives?”

Why are Medicare and Medicaid important to Iowans?:

• The CEO of Washington County Hospital and Clinics has warned that rural hospitals are at risk of closing or reducing services if the Medicaid cuts go through. Over 60% of their patients are covered by Medicare or Medicaid.

• Iowa’s mental health system is already under severe strain, and Medicaid cuts could harm it further. Only 760 mental health beds are available in a state with over 3.2 million people. We cannot afford to lose any more.

• Iowa Ranks 44th in physicians per capita, an issue only made more severe by the fact that many of these doctors don’t work in rural communities. Medicaid cuts would only accelerate this trend, and expand the healthcare deserts spreading across the state.

• The Joint Economic Committee estimates that if Trump’s budget bill is passed, over 90,000 Iowans will lose health coverage because of the cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act listed within.