Health Care for America Now has written a letter to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging them to reject budget recommendations to would cut Medicaid funding.

The cuts under consideration would have a devastating effect upon poor and elderly people who rely upon Medicaid for much-needed health care.

Medicaid works. It is a lifesaving program for millions of people who could not otherwise afford insurance. Medicaid relieves the burdens of public hospitals by paying for treatment that would otherwise be written off as uncompensated care, and by doing so, it is an economic engine that supports thousands of jobs in every state.

Medicaid is also a critical safety net for the middle class, especially for high-cost long-term care. The average annual cost of nursing home care is $75,000 – one-third greater than the average family income. Nearly two-thirds of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid. The budget reconciliation proposal would cut approximately $25 billion from this critical program and shift those costs to states, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Current budget proposals would defund community preventive health initiatives and would be a step backwards in the drive to lower health care costs and create healthy communities.