Opinion | Medicaid cuts will devastate our community

That may sound dire, but we know what happens when people lose their health coverage. We see it in the hospitals where we work.

In both of our hospitals, we care for a large number of community members who are on Medicaid. These cuts would hit us particularly hard. As nurses, we wonder how many of our patients will disappear. How many will lose healthcare coverage and simply won’t show up? How many will die because their health problems go untreated?

Our profession’s code of ethics calls on nurses to respect “the inherent dignity, worth, unique attributes, and human rights of all individuals.” It doesn’t matter what their economic status is. It doesn’t matter what racial or ethnic group they come from. It doesn’t matter whether they’re on Medicaid or a private insurance plan. Or it shouldn’t.

The U.S. Senate is now considering this resolution and has an opportunity to right this wrong by preserving Medicaid.

Jacob Garcia and Julia Barcott are registered nurses in the Lower Yakima Valley. Both are members of the Washington State Nurses Association.