Following the United States Senate vote on the Budget Reconciliation bill, California Medical Association President Shannon Udovic-Constant, M.D., issued the following statement:

“Today’s vote reverses years of progress to ensure that our most vulnerable patients have access to the lifesaving care they both need and deserve. The $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts in this bill will result in millions of Californians losing their health care coverage, which will have devastating consequences for patients and drive up health care costs in the long term.

As those in our nation’s capital make devastating cuts to our health care system, the medical community alone cannot stop many of the harms that will befall our patients. These health care cuts – the largest in our nation’s history – will cause more of our patients to suffer from preventable illness and delays in diagnosis and treatment. Too many Californians will die and more will suffer unnecessarily if this bill is enacted. Studies show that mortality and morbidity increase when people are uninsured and lack access to care, which is exactly what this dangerous bill will do.

As this bill moves back to the House, physicians across the state – and the country – are urging our representatives to stop these cuts, otherwise physician practices and hospitals will be forced to close or reduce access to care, and the health of Americans will suffer as a consequence.”