There’s nothing beautiful about cutting Medicaid

OPINION – As Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” squeaked by with a one-vote margin in Congress, I am thinking about California Representatives Darrell Issa, Young Kim, and David Valadao, who voted yes to starve their constituents and take away their health care.

These devastating cuts to Medicaid will touch every corner of our state – the elderly, people with disabilities, and families who need food assistance. I see what’s at stake every day with my dad. He is a retired civil engineer living with advanced Parkinson’s who relies on caregivers for simple tasks like eating, bathing, and getting out of bed.

Millions of Americans depend on Medicaid to help pay for that kind of critical care so they can live with dignity. But Medicaid is more than a life and death safety net –  it’s an economic pillar for those caring for older family members. It allows families to stay in the workforce, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy. Nobody wins when families need to make the impossible choice between caring for and feeding their loved ones versus their livelihoods.

That’s the reality for millions of families across California. But instead of strengthening these vital services, billionaires and their allies in Congress are trying to gut the very programs that help people stay employed — all for more tax breaks for the ultra-rich.

And while there is extreme uncertainty about where the economy is headed, we know this much: Gutting Medicaid does not create prosperity. It pulls loved ones out of the workforce, it lowers consumer spending, increases personal debt and weakens the economy for everyone.

Billionaires and their cronies in Congress are making a choice to prioritize tax breaks for billionaires over the healthcare and food assistance programs that keep local economies afloat.

Even Republican voters oppose these cuts. An April poll conducted by Trump’s pollster found that a majority of voters oppose slashing Medicaid — proof that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental one about values, livelihoods, and basic care.

As a country in turmoil, we need to draw a collective line to protect Medicaid. That’s why I joined We Are California, a movement fighting back against billionaire greed and protecting the things that keep our families and local economies thriving. Real economic prosperity doesn’t come from giveaways to the ultra-rich — it comes from ensuring that working people have the healthcare, wages, and support they need to stay in the workforce and care for their families.

We’ve been told for decades that cutting public services leads to prosperity. But that’s never been true — not for workers, not for families, not for the economy. Medicaid doesn’t just provide care; it sustains the people who hold up our economy. Illness, aging, and the need for support don’t care about your politics.

When personal healthcare costs rise and safety nets like food assistance disappear, families fall into financial debt. More people show up in emergency rooms for untreated conditions, driving up costs for hospitals and taxpayers. Employers struggle to retain workers because caregiving responsibilities pull them away.

The same budget that slashes Medicaid and Medicare includes $4 trillion in tax breaks and handouts, not for working families but for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. It cuts $1.1 trillion from health and food assistance just to hand out $1.1 trillion in tax breaks to the top one percent. That is not fiscal responsibility. It is a deliberate choice to take from those who need it most and give to those who need it least.

And yet, some members of Congress — like my own representative, Darrell Issa, one of the wealthiest people in Congress — show little concern for the consequences. He doesn’t have to worry about affording healthcare or paying for caregivers. But the families in his district do.

California’s congressional delegation — and lawmakers across the country — must decide whose side they’re on. Will they stand with working families struggling to care for aging parents, or will they continue handing out favors to billionaires while dismantling the programs that hold our economy together?

I think about my father every day. He spent his life building roads, bridges, and a better future for his community. What we are building here is just as important: an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few. One where families do not have to choose between their livelihoods and caring for the people they love.

Healthcare is not a luxury. It is the foundation of a strong economy and a just society for everyone, blue or red.

Hiram Soto is a communications leader and advocate for democracy, good governance, and elder care. He is based in Poway, California.