RECAP: Iowans Hurt by Hinson’s Medicaid Cuts Hold Press Call Outlining Impact of Her Vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill One Year Ago
Iowa Leaders and Iowans Impacted by Medicaid Cuts Called Out Hinson for Voting for the Biggest Cuts to Medicaid in History, Which Threatens to Kick Over 110,000 Iowans Off Their Health Care
DES MOINES – Today, Iowa leaders and Iowans impacted by Medicaid cuts held a virtual press conference slamming Ashley Hinson for voting one year ago for massive cuts to Medicaid as part of the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’
Hinson said she was “proud” of her vote to cut Medicaid, which threatens to kick over 110,000 Iowans off their health care and has put multiple hospitals at risk of closing due to funding cuts, with several closures already underway.
[Zach Mecham, SD-19 Candidate who relies on Medicaid for their care pictured during the virtual press conference]
“What I’m worried about is that most of these real cuts – the big ones – do not go into effect until after November 2026,” said Zach Mecham, SD-19 candidate who relies on Medicaid for their care. “The only reason for that is because people like Ashley Hinson knew the harms that this bill would do and did not want to lose the election as a result. When I think about how these Medicaid cuts have influenced me in the last year, it just put a lot of fear – a lot of wondering. Will I still get to live on my own?”
“For rural Iowans, seeing a specialist can be an all-day trip and all of this hardship for Iowans is just so the top 1 percent of 1 percent get a $121 billion tax cut,” said Michele Steepleton, a Cedar Rapids resident who is a caretaker for a family member on Medicaid. “[The One Big Beautiful Bill] was a bill that Ashley Hinson said that she was proud to support. I believe this is immoral. The $121 billion tax cut to the 1 percent was given off the backs of the poorest and most vulnerable among us.”
“When people lose insurance, or they simply can’t afford to keep it, they don’t stop getting sick, they stop getting care,” said Dr. Michael Andreski, West Des Moines School Board Member and Professor at Drake University. “One of the first things many people stop paying for is their prescription medications. […] because they simply can’t afford them. This has huge consequences. After more than four decades of practicing pharmacy, I know what happens next. […] Conditions that could have been easily managed with affordable medications, those turn into emergency room visits and hospitalizations that cost far more”
“Today, [my son] Benjamin has a wheelchair. He has AFOs, which are leg braces. He doesn’t walk or do anything without assistance. This is what Medicaid pays for,” said Terry Anderson, a veteran from Ankeny whose son relies on Medicaid. “Ashley Hinson only cares about making sure her rich benefactors take care of them and not the people of Iowa.”
Hinson is Making Healthcare in Iowa More Unaffordable and Inaccessible One Year After Voting to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill:
- Ashley Hinson said she was “proud” of her vote for the biggest cuts to Medicaid in history.
- The cuts threaten to kick over 110,000 Iowans off their health care and have put multiple hospitals at risk of closing due to Medicaid cuts, with several closures already underway.
- At the same time, Hinson gave a $121 billion tax cut to the richest 1%, after voting against legislation capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year and insulin at $35 a month.
- She voted to block a bipartisan effort to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits to stop health care costs from skyrocketing, which is expected to force 24,000 Iowans off their health insurance, with an estimated 117,890 seeing their insurance costs increase by 97% – an average of $1,080.
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