Working Families Party: Hands Off Our Healthcare "We are the ones we are looking for""

The digital meeting room buzzed with anticipation. It was a mass call, a gathering of concerned individuals from across the country, united by a shared purpose: to protect healthcare. Ash-Lee Henderson, the host from Working Families Power, welcomed everyone to this "all hands on deck moment". The urgency was palpable; just last month, the GOP-controlled Congress had passed a budget resolution calling for $1.5 trillion in cuts to programs families depend on, including Medicaid.

This proposal, the sources emphasize, was driven by a desire to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest while cutting healthcare for everyday families. The deadline to get the bill to the President's desk was fast approaching – just a couple of weeks away until Memorial Day.

Voices from the front lines shared their deeply personal experiences. Ann Massey, a mother from Wisconsin, spoke first. She explained how her three jobs could be impacted by the cuts and, more crucially, how her two children rely on vital Medicaid services. Her son, who is deaf, receives support like hearing screenings, hearing aids, and early intervention through Medicaid. Her oldest son, on the autism spectrum with coexisting conditions, depends on a Medicaid program called IRIS, which covers one-third of Class's income for his care. Tragically, both sons had suffered severe mental health problems after fleeing domestic violence.

Medicaid-funded programs like Wraparound provided care coordinators, therapists, and mentors, helping her oldest son heal and protecting both children from attempts to deny them treatment. Class powerfully stated that "without Medicaid, she wouldn't have been able to keep her children from attempting suicide."

Alexis Hinkley, a registered nurse from Southern California, added her perspective from the healthcare system itself. She plainly stated that Medicaid cuts "will kill people," particularly hitting rural communities, disabled folks, and the elderly the hardest.

In for-profit long-term care facilities, cuts mean neglect as profits are prioritized over people, leading to impossible staff-to-patient ratios. For rural hospitals, Medicaid is often the difference between staying open and shutting down. When hospitals close or services like maternity wards disappear, people in small towns may have to drive hours for essential care, which can be fatal in an emergency. She stressed that these cuts don't actually save money; they just shift costs elsewhere, increasing overall healthcare expenses for everyone.

Other speakers echoed the gravity of the situation. Sheniqua McClendon of Vote Save America, @votesaveamerica, shared her childhood experience needing life-saving surgery covered by Medicaid. Randi Weingarten from the American Federation of Teachers, @aftunion, highlighted that a third of kids in the U.S. get healthcare from Medicaid, and it pays for long-term care and services for the disabled, calling it the "safety net of safety nets".

Neal Bisno of SEIU, @seiu_org, emphasized that Medicaid is the "very backbone of our entire healthcare system," keeping hospitals open and millions of healthcare workers employed. They pointed out that homecare and nursing homes, where many workers are women and people of color, are particularly targeted.

The speakers agreed that this fight is not just about policy or budgets; it's about people and a moral issue. They saw a political opportunity, noting that the proposed cuts are highly unpopular, even among Republican constituents, and the GOP has slim margins in Congress.

The primary action was to text the word "NOCUTS" (one word, no spaces) to 70303. This allows Working Families Party to stay in touch and send out action alerts over the next few weeks. Attendees were encouraged to not only text themselves but also ask friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues to do the same.

Beyond texting, participants were urged to get involved in organizing efforts. This included contacting lawmakers – calling and emailing them to say lives are not on the chopping block. It also meant showing up for canvassing and phone banking in key congressional districts to put pressure on representatives who might be swayed.

Ezra Levin of Indivisible, @indivisbleteam, stressed the power of sharing personal stories, both their own and others'. The idea of "neighbor-to-neighbor" organizing was highlighted, where people talk to individuals in their own communities or friends in targeted districts who already agree with them but need to be mobilized.

Learn more from groups and leaders highlighted in the call: