Alaskans staged demonstrations Wednesday and Thursday to protest Alaska Rep. Nick Begich’s support for Medicaid cuts in the national budget reconciliation bill. The demonstrations were held outside Begich’s Anchorage office before and after his vote for what attendees called “devastating” Medicaid cuts.
Organizers said the Thursday protest was to express public mourning for Begich’s vote. Demonstrators staged a hospital bed and funeral flowers to show the cuts could mean the difference between life and death for some Alaskans.
Sarah Krug who attended the protest with her son Zachary, was among the fifty Alaskans there. She said he has cerebral palsy and relies on Medicaid for care.
“It's literally been a lifesaver for him from day one,” Krug said. “I work three jobs to make ends meet.”
Alaska is one of the most dependent states on federal Medicaid funding. On average the state pays only about a quarter of Medicaid costs and the rest is covered by the Federal government. The state already has some of the highest health care costs in the world and experts say that major Medicaid cuts at a federal level would likely lead to even higher Alaska health care costs.
Emily Dhatt, with the Alaska Caregivers Union, helped rally the protest, holding a pink megaphone. She said Alaskans aren’t going to let their politicians rip away healthcare from thousands.
“It's all of you who rely on Medicaid, it’s all of your family and friends whose lives are at risk because of what Nick Begich did last night,” Dhatt said.
She said because the bill goes to the Senate next, Alaskans still have a chance to help stop it. Organizers called for Alaskans to pressure Sen. Dan Sullivan next, who will vote on the bill in the Senate. They said they feel more confident that Lisa Murkowski won’t support major Medicaid cuts.
RELATED: How major cuts to Medicaid could be ‘catastrophic,’ even for Alaskans with private insurance
