“Adam Glickman, secretary-treasurer of SEIU 775, said caregivers help with such essential tasks as cooking, bathing, medication management and transportation. He emphasized cutting Medicaid would mean many would not get the care they need.
‘That could mean they’re left alone in their homes, without care,” Glickman pointed out. “For many people, it’ll mean ending up in emergency rooms.’
President Donald Trump and House Republicans are proposing $880 billion in cuts from the Energy and Commerce Committee, most of which would come from Medicaid. Critics said the goal of the plan is to help pay for tax cuts that would largely benefit the wealthiest Americans.
Kandie Luo, a caregiver and union member who depends on Medicaid for her own family’s health care, as well as for her income, emigrated from China 40 years ago and thinks cuts to Medicaid would especially harm immigrant communities.
“This is not just about the number, it’s about the real people,” Luo stressed. “About the family, like me, depending on the Medicaid to survive.”
The Trump administration said Medicaid cuts would focus on reducing waste and fraud in the program. Glickman contended it is an issue that has been blown out of proportion.
‘I think this has become a red herring or kind of smoke screen by people who just really don’t want to admit that what they’re doing is cutting people’s health care,’ Glickman argued.”