Ashley Gaschk, Bismarck

Last week, all three of our representatives in Washington voted to approve the President’s spending bill. They called this “a big win” that provides “tax relief for everyday Americans” and “certainty to American families” Congresswoman Fedorchak’s, Senator Hoeven’s, and Senator Cramer’s statements make me wonder: Have the people we sent to represent us forgotten who everyday North Dakotans are? Many have balked at the big, so-called “beautiful” bill’s Medicaid cuts, and rightfully so. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 14 million Americans will become uninsured, through a combination of direct Medicaid cuts and loss of marketplace plans. This doesn’t just harm the millions whose benefits are at risk, it puts small hospitals in danger.

Medicaid pays 19 percent of all hospital bills, and rural hospitals across the country are at risk of closing, leaving their workers jobless and entire communities without access to care. The $793 billion cut to Medicaid will hit North Dakota especially hard. Not only do we live in a largely rural state, our population is aging rapidly. As the baby boom generation ages, the number of North Dakotas over 65 grew 33% since 2010, and is expected to continue to grow another 22% in just two years.

This demographic shift will increase demand on our healthcare system at the exact time we are endangering it. This is especially true for those living in long-term care facilities, as over half of North Dakota’s nursing home residents pay with Medicaid. These cuts will result in price increases for private-pay customers and staff layoffs, creating unsafe conditions for both residents and workers alike…if the facilities are able to stay open at all.

I wouldn’t call that a win. This bill is touted as a tax-relief measure, but kicking our most vulnerable citizens off their insurance doesn’t sound like relief to me, and endangering the livelihoods of the people who care for them will create more uncertainty for families. Everyday North Dakotans care about their family and their neighbors, but it seems our Congressional delegation was more concerned about falling in line with their party and filling the pockets of their wealthy donors with unnecessary tax cuts.