Guest Commentary: Medicaid cuts will devastate our community

Rep. Dan Newhouse needs to get real about the impact of the Medicaid cuts he voted for.

His vote for HR 1 helped it pass through the U.S. House of Representatives by a margin of one vote. In a news release he downplayed the enormous cuts to Medicaid as “common-sense reforms” and said it was about the “integrity” of the program.

What his vote really means is cutting off children, families, seniors and single adults with low incomes who were finally able to get health care coverage — and access to care — thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

If this provision passes out of the Senate unamended, it would mean deep cuts to what the federal government contributes to Medicaid, which has been run as a state-federal partnership since its inception.

Jacob Garcia and Julia Barcott are registered nurses working in Yakima County and are members of the Washington State Nurses Association. Garcia works at Astria Sunnyside Hospital and Barcott works at Astria Toppenish Hospital.