Written by Tanya Terry, with photos provided by the Office of Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet
Following the recent proposed cuts on healthcare, Shanay Watson-Whittaker, director of Michigan campaigns with Reproductive Freedom for All, moderated a panel discussion on healthcare access and reproductive rights in Michigan. There, Congresswoman McDonald Rivet, Reproductive Freedom for All President Mini Timmaraju, Dr. Aisha Harris, Dr. Latressa Gordon and Attorney and Social Justice Advocate Angana Shah focused on the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts, defunding of Planned Parenthood and efforts to restrict medication abortion access for Michigan residents.
Watson-Whittaker asked McDonald Rivet how the gutting of Medicaid, defunding of Planned Parenthood and rolling back of coverage for millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Michiganders are impacting families across Michigan
“Families across Michigan, families right here in Flint, families across the country right now, it’s the the over $2 trillion worth of cuts are likely to cause 15 million people to lose their health insurance,” stated McDonald Rivet. “Tens of thousands right here in our local community, and in the conversation really often, there are talks about the money. It talks about the balance sheet, but these actually are real people.
“Every day, every day, we get calls into our office of people who are frankly terrified about their access to health care, their access to prescription drugs, and as we watch costs rise like crazy everywhere, not just at the gas pump, which everybody’s talking about now, but at the grocery store, utility bills, housing – the reality is, in Mid-Michigan, 70% of our jobs pay less than $60,000 a year,” added McDonald Rivet. “Take home pay on 60 grand a year does not allow you to accommodate a rise in healthcare premiums of 13, $15,000. We are seeing a huge chunk of people that are being forced to drop their health insurance, because it just is not a financial reality to them.”
McDonald Rivet also stated this could lead to closures of more clinics and preventative care becoming a luxury for only the wealthy.
When asked what state and federal leaders do to remedy the healthcare deserts, Harris stressed the importance of them giving Michiganders and Americans a sense of security by making sure care is available consistently.
Harris said: “As far as our leaders, I think part of the fear that a lot of my patients face is they don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring when it comes to their health. They also don’t know what tomorrow going to bring when it comes to their health care costs. And so, when people are afraid of healthcare costs, when people are afraid of not being able to get consistent access, that fear and stress is detrimental to their health in general. But it also causes a chain reaction, and they’re giving up something in order to get their health care. They’re not getting food. They’re not getting their necessities for their families. They’re not taking care of themselves on a regular basis when they have to stress about health. And that stress is also going to negatively impact their health. So, it’s all collectively really important for people to have a comfort in knowing that they can get healthcare consistently.”
Timmaraju was asked about how the restriction of mifepristone abortion medication would affect Michiganders. She talked about the fact clinics in Michigan clinics are closing. This is due to a combination of factors, including severe federal funding cuts, particularly to Medicaid.
She answered: “Michiganders codified a right to abortion care in their constitution. Michiganders unequivocally, including in this district, support access to care. However, the right to have an abortion and the right to have this care doesn’t mean anything if we don’t have places to access the care, right? And we’re seeing that in real time…If you don’t have a place to go, you’ll go to the E.R., or you’ll go without the care. And the dramatic impact that has on the economy here in the middle of this affordability crisis is a huge crisis for Michiganders.”
The panelists emphasized that this is an emergency requiring immediate action from policymakers and that women are already dying due to lack of healthcare access. They called for public education about the crisis and urged constituents to engage with elected officials about protecting healthcare access.
