This Wednesday marked the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, and Alliance members mobilized to protect the health care programs from the biggest threats they have faced since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed them into law in 1965.
72 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid and more than 68 million are enrolled in Medicare. The recently passed Republican budget and tax plan included $930 billion in Medicaid cuts, which is likely to lead to the closure of more than 300 rural hospitals and one in four nursing homes across the country. It also included half a billion dollars in automatic, across the board cuts to Medicare.
Alliance members across the country marked the event with Protect Medicare and Medicaid rallies and press conferences. William Spreter, president of the central New York chapter of the New York State Alliance spoke during an event co-sponsored with Citizen Action last weekend. On Wednesday, the Nevada Alliance held a Protect Medicare rally in Reno and the Arizona Alliance executive director Dora Vasquez spoke at a news conference in Phoenix. The Illinois Alliance held four rallies on Wednesday, including a protest outside of Rep. Darin LaHood‘s (IL) district office and a Hands Off Medicaid event with Rep. Eric Sorensen (IL). More events are scheduled in the coming days.
“Before Medicare and Medicaid, only half the nation’s seniors had health insurance,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “We must stop the disastrous impacts that will result from these cuts. Now is the time to urge lawmakers to protect these essential programs.”
This was originally published in the August 1, 2025 edition of the Friday Alert. Read the full length version and see other Friday Alert editions here.
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