Gov. Ferguson addresses Medicaid cuts that could affect 2 million Washingtonians

SEATTLE — Gov. Bob Ferguson held a press conference at Harborview Medical Center on Thursday to address Congress’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, which could impact health care access for nearly 2 million residents of Washington state.

Ferguson was joined by health care workers and hospital leaders Thursday morning to urge Congress to abandon its proposed cuts to safety net services, which include Medicaid. Ferguson said around one in five Washingtonians are enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, including around 800,000 children.

President Donald Trump’s 1,116-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was passed by House Republicans Thursday morning. The bill includes provisions to make 2017 tax cuts permanent, allocates over $46 billion for the construction of a southern border wall, and provides $4 billion to hire additional border agents and customs officers. It also proposes $150 billion more for defense spending. It will now go to the Senate for a final vote, and GOP leaders hope to have it signed into law by July 4.

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To fund these initiatives, the bill suggests a nearly $800 billion reduction to Medicaid, introducing work requirements that could potentially remove millions from the program. Trump Administration Officials have argued that “able bodied” Medicaid recipients should work to receive benefits.

Washington state spends around $21 billion on Medicaid a year. Ferguson’s office said approximately $8 billion of that is paid for by the state, while $13 billion is paid for by the federal government.

Ferguson called the situation “dire” during Thursday’s press conference, and said the recently passed state budget, which protected the rainy-day fund, wouldn’t be able to fund what would be a significant change in federal Medicaid reimbursements.

If the bill passes the Senate, Ferguson said Washington state “stands to lose” around $2 billion in Medicaid funding over the next four years.

“Medicaid is a lifeline to affordable, quality healthcare — and these cuts would impact everyone in Washington who relies on it,” Ferguson said. “Fewer services, fewer doctors and fewer clinics mean Washingtonians in every corner of the state face reduced access to health care. It is both cruel and catastrophic.”

The bill also threatens access to health care and food stamps in the state, according to Ferguson’s office. The proposed legislation cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by $267 billion over 10 years, which would shift costs to the states.

Harborview Medical Center CEO Sommer Kleweno Walley suggested any funding cut could be devastating for the hospital and the rest of the system.

“With the repeal of a lot of this, you will see a lot more unfunded individuals, which will cost places like (us),” she told KOMO News.

The Washington State Hospital Association has also suggested rural hospitals could be in danger of closing, citing eight hospitals that received 25% or more of their payer mix from Medicaid. Othello Community Hospital in central Washington gets 58% of its revenue from Medicaid reimbursements

Jen Chong Jewell was at Ferguson’s press conference Thursday, with her 14-year-old son Gabriel by her side. She said he’s had a couple of operations and services paid for by Medicaid.

“(It) has been so integral in supporting his growth, his development, and where he is today,” she said, adding, “I want to do my best to kind of try to plan ahead, to plan for the things that I can plan for. But there’s so much unknown right now.”