Letter to the Editor
Medicaid cuts will affect over 73,000 people in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford.
Recently, I learned about the local impact of the Medicaid cuts in our area. I was surprised, as the numbers are beyond what I knew, and I believe that others would be interested in this information.
Seventy three thousand, five hundred and thirty-three (73,533) people in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford are now covered by Medicaid. Broken down, that’s 32,419 in Spotsylvania; 31,734 in Stafford; and 9,380 in Fredericksburg. This ranges from 19-33% of residents in these jurisdictions.
These are our neighbors, friends, families, caregivers, and employees. The population includes seniors and disabled seniors, disabled adults (below 65), children (18 and under) of adults covered by the expansion, and other adults and caregivers. And this number doesn’t include the additional cuts to our veterans’ health care.
This is who we will be hurting and creating “gaps for care” in our community. Even if you believe that as many as 10% of these people are fraudsters (per a neighbor) that still leaves 66,180 people at risk given the size of the cuts.
The fear and isolation that this is causing in our community is real and palpable. We need to pay attention, care for each other, and encourage all our leaders and our “tribes” to use the next two years to plan for our community.
Bryn C. Pavek
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