1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

The Republican proposal to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients is misguided and will result in millions of vulnerable Americans losing their health coverage rather than promoting employment as claimed, evidence from States like Arkansas shows these requirements primarily cause eligible people to lose benefits due to complicated reporting rules. An estimated 10 to 14 million people could lose coverage in the next decade, the majority of being people who are working or exempt but fail to properly report their status. Cutting taxes for the wealthy while stripping health insurance from low-income families is cruel and counterproductive. Medicaid provides vital access to care, and disruptions, increase medical debt, delayed treatment, and preventable suffering. Instead of punitive measures, we should strengthen this essential safety net program and ensure all Americans can access affordable healthcare, regardless of employment status. Consider one of my best friends, who is in medical school training to become a physician. She has had to take out considerable loans and is not allowed to work during her time as a medical student because they don't want distractions. Her family is not wealthy and she would lose access to healthcare. She is being punished by bills like this for trying to become a doctor. We can't expect good healthcare outcomes when we aren't even supporting the young people who will be the next generation of healthcare providers. I urge you desperately to reject any legislation that undermines Medicaid's promise of healthcare for our most vulnerable citizens. Do not value the lives of billionaires over the everyday people.