This week, California’s congressional representatives returned from their home districts to a gray and gloomy Washington, D.C.
The weather wasn’t great either.
I was also in the nation’s capital this week, spending several days meeting with both Republican and Democratic representatives.
In all, I had the opportunity to meet with more than a dozen members of California’s delegation, including Reps. Pete Aguilar, Jay Obernolte, Mike Thompson, Doris Matsui, David Valadao, and Jimmy Panetta — all members of leadership and key committees.
There were multiple goals:
- Reinforce how important Medicaid is to California and the impact cuts would have on patients and hospitals; 46% of all hospital funding in the state comes from Medicaid.
- Help policymakers and their staff understand that provider taxes, used to make directed payments, are essential to care delivery.
- Debunk new falsehoods that Medicaid funding beyond base reimbursement rates constitute fraud or abuse; in truth, a variety of non-base Medicaid payment programs have been in place for decades to mitigate the extreme shortfall in reimbursement.
These meetings are important following the passage of a continuing resolution for 2025 spending (that includes many hospital priorities). Lawmakers now are turning toward weeks, if not months, of negotiations on a 2026 federal spending plan, as the Senate and House of Representatives must come together on a budget blueprint.
Of greatest concern for hospitals and the people they care for is that the House of Representatives’ roadmap for the budget calls for nearly $900 billion to be cut via the Energy and Commerce Committee — the body that oversees Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California).
Most experts believe Congress cannot achieve the budget cuts it desires without taking a substantial chunk out of Medicaid. And many other organizations are sharing information about the impact of Medicaid cuts on families, children, seniors, and more:
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Congressional Republicans Can’t Cut Medicaid by Hundreds of Billions Without Hurting People”
- Medicare Rights Center: “Potential Target for Medicaid Cuts Would End Coverage for 20 Million People”
- California Medical Association: “CMA urges Congress to protect access to care and oppose Medicaid cuts”
- California Health Care Foundation: “California Has a Lot to Lose If Trump Slashes Medicaid”
- Congressional Budget Office: “Mandatory Spending Under the Jurisdiction of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
- Kaiser Family Foundation: “Putting $880 Billion in Potential Federal Medicaid Cuts in Context of State Budgets and Coverage”
The forthcoming budget debate will take place with the smallest-ever margin in the House of Representatives. That’s why, in addition to the work CHA does every day to deliver these messages to policymakers, your voices are also critical.
Please make use of our comprehensive federal resources page — updated regularly — to make sure every member of Congress knows the importance of Medicaid in every district throughout the state.
