Supporters of the Fight for Health Coalition came to gather Tuesday in front of Folsom’s Dignity Health Mercy Hospital to rally against proposed Medicaid cuts that they cite could threaten hospitals across California, including the Folsom facility.

Organized by the Fight for Our Health coalition, the rally was part of a statewide response to a congressional plan that, “would cut $880 billion from Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California,” according to the press release from the organization. The group went on to cite that in the district of Congressional Rep. Kevin Kiley, “as much as $387 million in Medi-Cal funding for hospitals is reported to be at risk, according to the statement.” 

During the rally, participants called on Kiley to oppose the cuts and to advocate for the protection of Dignity Health Mercy Hospital.

“We’re fighting for all of our patients, not just those who are covered by Medi-Cal for their health insurance,” one healthcare worker stated in the release issued by Fight for Our Health, “because everyone’s healthcare will be affected with reduced access, reduced quality of care, reduced staffing levels, longer wait times and waiting lists, and higher costs when hospitals and other healthcare providers have to start cutting deep into their budgets.”

“At Mercy Folsom, we also serve our rural community. Medicaid brings in nearly $43 million for our hospital, so if it gets cut, it won’t only impact the people who use it,” said Dennis Anderson, a laboratory assistant at Mercy Hospital of Folsom. “We can’t afford any cuts to Medicaid, no matter what they try to call them. Congressman Kiley needs to do the right thing for the people who voted for him and stop any cuts to Medicaid.”

Tuesday’s emergency rally was one of more than 30 events happening across the state, as thousands of residents fight to stave off the largest Medicaid cuts in history.

“I am a lifelong disabilities advocate, not just for myself but for my family and friends. Medi-Cal is needed to help support my health. I had a stroke and I have diabetes. Medical helps me get a blood sugar monitor and get my diabetes under control so I can continue to live independently,” said Joe Meadours, Medi-Cal patient and local resident. “Without Medi-Cal, I’m not sure I could live independently. Without healthcare, I might wind up in a nursing home, which is more expensive than my doctor and my medicine.”

According to Fight for Our Health, eight of nine Republican Congressmembers from California voted last month to advance a plan that would slash $880 billion in health care funding. Organizers said the move would eliminate essential services such as emergency rooms and maternity wards, or potentially close facilities entirely. The UC Berkeley Labor Center estimated that up to 217,000 Californians could lose their jobs under the proposed cuts.

In a coordinated demonstration across dozens of hospitals from Sacramento to San Diego, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities rallied in defense of their local hospitals—the places “where babies are born, cancer patients are treated, and where we all turn when our families are injured or sick,” the coalition stated.

Organizers also cited findings that show Republican Congressional districts, including those represented by members who voted for the plan, would be among the hardest hit, with more than $5.6 billion in Medi-Cal funding at risk in those areas.

Fight for Our Health noted that proposed Medicaid cuts remain deeply unpopular with voters across party lines. Internal polling cited by the group shows that even Trump voters oppose such cuts to pay for tax breaks by a 15-point margin.

The coalition criticized what it called “politician double-speak,” pointing to Republican members of Congress who publicly claim support for Medi-Cal while signaling openness to policy changes that could result in loss of care for up to 5 million working Californians. According to the group, these changes could introduce bureaucratic hurdles and shift the burden onto state systems.

Tuesday’s rally in Folsom was intended to bring concerns, “directly to the doorstep of Dignity Health Mercy Hospital, as part of a wider campaign urging Congressmembers to reject the proposed Medicaid reductions,” according to oganizers.

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