New York, NY – Depriving the neediest in our country of health care by a Republican Congress shows moral depravity. This attack against Americans by the Trump administration must be addressed in the next round of national and local elections.
More than $715 billion in cuts and changes to Medicaid were approved by the Republican Congress.The Congressional reconciliation bill eliminates health care for 8.6 million lower-income patients. Health services in every category are affected including: veterans, the disabled, those pregnant, seniors, and even children. These radical reductions planned by a Republican administration will lead to suffering and deaths of patients in our country.
“All people in the United States automatically deserve health care simply because you exist, period,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and NNU president. “Everybody knows our health care system is a total failure and that what we really need is Medicare for All, which we nurses are already fighting for. Until we win guaranteed health care for everyone, we have programs like Medicaid to help those among us who are suffering the most. For Congress to take even that away shows their fundamental cruelty and how they want to ultimately destroy our public health programs and services.”
The more than 225,000 union registered nurses of National Nurses United denounce and vow to stop the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Nurses have long argued that these attacks on public programs like Medicaid are simply ideologically-based efforts to completely eliminate social support programs.
“Everybody has the right to health,” said Hagans. “And as nurses, we know that health is not just individually determined, but socially determined. Nurses believe in a society where we take care of one another, not abandon people who are born or become disabled, or happen to work a job that is not financially valued. So we reject these cuts to Medicaid and other social support programs and will continue to fight for our patients and for public health.”
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
