I’ll dispense with my normal preamble when it comes to one of my essays, because there is a very human tragedy about to unfold in this country. In case you haven’t seen it, a part of the spending bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate is a cut to SNAP and Medicare, more than $1 trillion dollars to be specific. Most of us know what Medicaid is, but incase SNAP is new to you, that stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This is food purchasing assistance to low-income families and individuals. Let me give you some numbers. In Vermont alone more than 65,000 people depend on SNAP, and most are kids, older adults, and people with disabilities. Without SNAP, programs like food stamps would be decimated, and thousands of people would face very real starvation. As for Medicaid, we’ve all experienced just how out of control medical costs can be, and some of us have ended up in thousands of dollars of medical debt as a result. Now imagine the reality for folks who are low income, when money is already stretched thin as can be. Medicaid is the only insurance coverage many are able to obtain, and speaking as somebody who has been on it before I can tell you the deductibles and out of pockets are already high. Those numbers would skyrocket with massive cuts, if not make the coverage utterly unaffordable to the people who need it the most. We’re talking about kids with asthma, parents battling cancer, seniors needing home care so they’re not forced to move to assisted living. These are our most vulnerable people, and they will be badly hurt by massive cuts, frankly many won’t survive them period. And if you’re under the impression that you’ll see some savings or tax relief from these cuts, you will not, because it will all fall on the states. In little Vermont alone, these proposals could cost as much as $54 million dollars a year, and force VT lawmakers to make impossible decisions to balance the budget. That’s just in Vermont, for states with far larger populations like New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and California those numbers will be far higher.
This is extremely personal for me. I’ve worked for Community Health Centers, a group of federally qualified health centers that provides medical, dental and mental health services. Nobody who walks in the doors of one of CHC’s clinics is turned away because they can’t pay. They do extensive outreach to our homeless population, meeting them where they are and getting them comfortable coming in for medical care, trusting that they won’t get hit with surprise bills they can’t afford or being booted out because they’ve received a basic triage and can’t afford further care. They work with a lot of people who might be new to the US, and for whom English is not their first language. CHC provides translation services in dozens of languages so these folks can receive effective medical care. And for many in the LGBTQ community who have fallen through the cracks of traditional healthcare, Community Health Centers is the first place they’ve felt safe receiving care. Medicare and Medicaid can make up to 44% of a FQHC’s yearly funding. If these cuts are passed it would be disastrous for community health centers around the country, many of which might be forced to shut their doors, leaving tens of thousands without care. This shouldn’t be a political issue. I’ve spent my entire life being taught that America is the richest, most powerful nation on earth. How can we call ourselves that with a straight face when we’re threatening to harm millions of our own people, the most vulnerable of us at that? All so that the already privileged can get even more tax breaks? This is just wrong, morally and fiscally wrong. I would ask you to put aside partisanship and search your conscience, do your own research into the bill if you feel so inclined. If you find, like I did, that you cannot in good conscience support such cuts then I would urge you to reach out to your senators and make sure they know how you feel, which you can do by following the hyperlink below.
