Constituents tell Miller-Meeks ‘No Medicaid Cuts’

Indianola, Iowa – On Tuesday Congresswoman Marianette Miller-Meeks’ constituents visited her Indianola office and delivered around 300 petitions and postcards demanding she oppose cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax handouts for billionaires and corporations. 

Despite having two full weeks of recess in her district, Rep. Miller-Meeks has failed to schedule any public town halls to hear directly from constituents about their concerns over cuts to critical programs like Medicaid. Meanwhile, in D.C., Miller-Meeks cast one of the deciding votes for a budget plan that threatens the health and financial security of hundreds of thousands of Iowans through massive cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP. She also sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Health, the committee that will be responsible for deciding where to make cuts to Medicaid in the coming weeks.

During the visit, constituents voiced concerns about what Medicaid cuts could mean for their families. Jill Kordick, a retired health administrator from Norwalk, said that she urges Congresswoman Miller-Meeks to put Iowans ahead of Washington extremists:

“Any vote Congresswoman Miller-Meeks makes to gut Medicaid funding is a direct hit to the health and well-being of thousands of Iowans in her district. Medicaid is a vital lifeline for children, seniors, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. These cuts would jeopardize access to care, force impossible choices for families, and deliver a fiscal sucker punch to rural health systems. The consequences, both intended and unintended, would be devastating for the counties and communities served by these hospitals, which are often major local employers. I’m urging Congresswoman Miller-Meeks to set a precedent during the Energy and Commerce markup and protect Medicaid funds. She must stand with her constituents, not Washington extremists, and vote no on any budget that slashes Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy.

Another constituent, Esther Kauffeld-Hoffa, from Indianola, came to the visit out of concern for  a friend: 

“I'm so concerned about Medicaid being cut. I know people who will not get their medication anymore, and they will die. I have a friend who has been through many different kinds of medications to help her with her mental illness, but she can only work half-time, as much as her mental health will allow, and so she needs her Medicaid to pay for her many medications. If she loses it, she'll lose her medications, and she will lose her life. People don't understand that medications for mental illness are as important as medications you take for heart disease, for all the major diseases. And so someone who has a mental illness and has their medication taken away becomes so vulnerable that they will die.  I'm just shocked at the incivility of all the cold-heartedness, it's like we've lost our soul.”