Resolution #7
DEFEND MEDICAID AND PROTECT HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR OUR PATIENTS AND COMMUNITIES
1 WHEREAS:
2 UNAC/UHCP represents more than 40,000 healthcare professionals who provide essential
3 patient care throughout California and Hawaii and who witness firsthand the consequences when
4 patients cannot access affordable healthcare; and
5 WHEREAS:
6 Medicaid – known as Medi-Cal in California and Med-QUEST in Hawaii – is the
7 cornerstone of our nation’s healthcare safety net, providing health coverage for more than 70
8 million Americans, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, pregnant patients,
9 veterans, and working families; and
10 WHEREAS:
11 The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that recent federal Medicaid and
12 Affordable Care Act reductions will result in approximately 10 million Americans losing health
13 insurance coverage by 2034, representing the largest loss of health coverage in modern American
14 history; and
15 WHEREAS:
16 Researchers from Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania project that these
17 Medicaid reductions and related healthcare policy changes could contribute to more than 51,000
18 preventable deaths annually through loss of health insurance, reduced access to prescription
19 medications, and weakened nursing home staffing protections; and
20 WHEREAS:
21 Medi-Cal provides healthcare coverage for approximately 14 million Californians,
22 including more than half of all California children, 2.2 million seniors and people with disabilities,
23 and one in five working adults, making it one of the largest public health insurance programs in
24 the nation; and
25
26
27
28 WHEREAS:
29 California is projected to lose approximately $30 billion annually in federal Medi-Cal
30 funding, while up to 3.4 million Californians could lose health coverage, placing unprecedented
31 strain on hospitals, community clinics, long-term care facilities, behavioral health providers, and
32 emergency departments throughout the state; and
33 WHEREAS:
34 More than 389,000 Hawaiʻi residents rely on Med-QUEST (Medicaid) for health coverage,
35 including more than 153,000 children, as well as many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander
36 families, kūpuna (elders), individuals with disabilities, and residents of rural and neighbor island
37 communities where access to healthcare providers is already limited; and
38 WHEREAS:
39 The federal Medicaid cuts are projected to reduce federal Medicaid funding to Hawaiʻi by
40 more than $3.4 billion over the next ten years, threatening the financial stability of Hawaiʻi’s
41 healthcare system and placing thousands of Med-QUEST beneficiaries at risk of losing health
42 insurance coverage, with estimates that between 13,000 and 20,000 Hawaiʻi residents could lose
43 their healthcare coverage; and
44 WHEREAS:
45 Medicaid finances healthcare for nearly half of all children in the United States, ensuring
46 access to immunizations, preventive care, specialty care, behavioral health services, and treatment
47 for chronic illnesses, while serving as the nation’s largest payer for long-term services and supports
48 for seniors and individuals with disabilities; and
49 WHEREAS:
50 Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care and home- and community-based
51 services, allowing millions of older adults and people with disabilities to receive care with dignity
52 while remaining safely in their homes and communities; and
53 WHEREAS:
54 Reductions in Medicaid funding will increase uncompensated care, delay diagnosis and
55 treatment, worsen chronic disease outcomes, increase emergency department utilization,
56 exacerbate health disparities, and disproportionately harm children, seniors, low-income families,
57 rural communities, communities of color, and people living with disabilities; and
58
59 WHEREAS:
60 California healthcare systems – including Sharp HealthCare, Kaiser Permanente, Prime
61 Healthcare, public hospitals, children’s hospitals, community clinics, skilled nursing facilities, and
62 safety-net providers – will face significant reductions in reimbursement, increased uncompensated
63 care, growing financial instability, and heightened pressure on staffing and patient services as a
64 direct consequence of these federal Medicaid cuts; and
65 WHEREAS:
66 Reductions in Medicaid funding will not only jeopardize patient care but will also threaten
67 thousands of healthcare jobs, increase workloads for healthcare professionals, exacerbate staffing
68 shortages, and place additional financial pressure on hospitals and healthcare systems throughout
69 California and Hawaii; and
70 WHEREAS:
71 Protecting Medicaid is essential to protecting patients, preserving healthcare jobs, maintaining safe
72 staffing levels, and ensuring that healthcare professionals can continue providing high-quality care
73 in the communities they serve.
74 THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
75 UNAC/UHCP strongly opposes any federal legislation that reduces Medicaid funding or
76 restricts access to healthcare for children, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, working
77 families, and vulnerable populations; and
78 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
79 That UNAC/UHCP shall actively lobby the United States Congress to repeal or reverse
80 these Medicaid reductions, restore full federal Medicaid funding, oppose any additional cuts to
81 Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Med-QUEST, and protect access to comprehensive healthcare services for
82 all eligible individuals; and
83 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
84 That UNAC/UHCP shall advocate before the California and Hawaii Congressional
85 Delegations, the California Legislature, the Hawaii State Legislature, and both Governors for
86 policies that preserve Medicaid funding, strengthen public healthcare systems, and protect access
87 to care for our patients and communities; and
88
89
90 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
91 That UNAC/UHCP shall partner with labor organizations, patient advocacy groups,
92 community organizations, healthcare employers, and professional associations to educate
93 policymakers and the public about the devastating consequences of Medicaid cuts, including
94 increased numbers of uninsured individuals, hospital financial instability, worsening health
95 disparities, preventable illness, and avoidable loss of life; and
96 BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
97 That UNAC/UHCP shall continue advocating for adequate reimbursement to hospitals,
98 clinics, home health agencies, long-term care facilities, and other healthcare providers to preserve
99 safe staffing, maintain healthcare jobs, and ensure continued access to quality patient care
100 throughout California, Hawaii and the U.S.
SUBMITTED BY:
Joshua Masslon, Chair and Delegate
Lisa Nowacky, Co-Chair and Delegate
United Nurses and Health Care Employees of Hawaii (UNHCEH)
Ceasar Jay Advincula, RN, President and Delegate
Susan Justin, RN, Treasurer and Delegate
Beverly Hospital Registered Nurses Association (BHRNA)
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION: ADOPTION
A/R COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: ADOPTION
AS PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE