1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am disappointed with your recent vote supporting a budget resolution that requires cutting at least $880 billion over the next ten years from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid. I want you to reject any proposal to cut funding or add red tape and administrative barriers to Medicaid. Medicaid cuts in any form threaten the health care of nearly 2 million Virginians, including 630,000 who would automatically lose health coverage if expansion funding is cut at all. Nearly 2 million Virginia residents, or over 1 in 5, depend on Medicaid/CHIP for their health care. This includes newborns, young children, adults, pregnant women, and older adults. Widespread cuts to Medicaid/CHIP will leave many without access to comprehensive health coverage or critical services. Because Virginia is a “trigger” state, if federal funding for Medicaid expansion falls below the current 90%, more than 630,000 Virginians, including many in our district, will be automatically disenrolled from Medicaid. Access to health coverage, life-saving medications, and treatment for chronic conditions could be interrupted or ended for thousands if Congress decides to cut federal funding for expansion. I also oppose other proposals to cut Medicaid by taking coverage away from people who don’t meet unnecessary and burdensome work reporting requirements. Evidence from Arkansas’ failed experiment with work requirements reveals they led to working individuals losing their health coverage because of difficulties in submitting paperwork, and failed to improve employment outcomes. A recent study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the vast majority (92%) of adults below age 65 who are enrolled in Medicaid are either working, caring for family, ill or disabled, or attending school. Once again, as your constituent, I want you to maintain health coverage for thousands in our district and across Virginia. I urge you to commit to protecting health coverage for those who need it most by opposing cuts to federal Medicaid funding and administrative barriers, such as work reporting requirements.