ARIZONA – As Republicans in Congress push to pass a budget bill that will rip health care away from millions of Americans – including over 300,000 Arizonans – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is hearing from Arizona stakeholders on how these cuts will affect families.
Last week, Senator Gallego released a report highlighting the chaos it will have on Arizonans while Senate Republicans continue negotiations on the bill:
- Almost 200,000 Arizonans will lose Medicaid coverage.
- Over 100,000 Arizonans will lose Affordable Care Act coverage.
- Over 1,000 Arizonans will lose their lives.
Read more from the Senator on the issue HERE.
Here’s what health care leaders are saying in Arizona:
“If this budget proposal passes, many Community Health Centers across Arizona will be forced to close or substantially cut services. These centers are a lifeline for rural communities – for every community: urban, suburban and rural, and without them, even Arizonans who don’t rely on Medicaid or the ACA will lose access to basic care,” said Jessica Yanow, CEO, the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers. “Senator Gallego has been a strong voice against these harmful cuts, and we applaud his continued leadership.”
“This bill is cruel. It takes food and health care away from those who need it most, just to fund tax giveaways for the wealthiest,” said Dora Vasquez, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans. “More than 2 million Arizonans of all ages rely on Medicaid, and this bill puts all of their health care at risk. And the tax cuts for the rich and corporations are so enormous that it will trigger automatic across-the-board cuts to Medicare. Making it harder to get health care or put food on the table is not what Arizonans need or want.”
“As the CEO of El Rio Health, I am concerned about the threats the reconciliation package poses to our local health systems. The proposed reductions to Medicaid funding present a significant threat to our ability to deliver essential healthcare services across our region, especially to patients in rural areas. These cuts would inevitably lead to reduced access to care for countless patients who rely on Medicaid, including many of our most vulnerable community members,” said Clinton Kuntz, CEO of El Rio Health. “Our primary mission is to ensure the health and well-being of Southern Arizonans, and the potential implications of these changes are deeply troubling.”
“At Southwest Behavioral & Health Services, we are deeply concerned by the proposed cuts to Medicaid within the reconciliation bill recently passed by House Republicans. These proposed reductions would not only jeopardize the continuity of care for our most vulnerable patients but also strain our ability to deliver critical services that are vital for the well-being of our communities,” said Steven Sheets, President & CEO of Southwest Behavioral & Health Services. “We urge the Senate to recognize the indispensable role Medicaid plays in supporting behavioral health and to ensure that any legislative action protects access to these life-changing services.”
“Medicaid is the financial backbone of care in rural Arizona. For a rural health system like Onvida Health — where over 83% of patients rely on government coverage — these proposed work requirements threaten not just access to care, but our ability to stay financially afloat. In Yuma, where only 15% of residents have private insurance, a one-size-fits-all work requirement would create devastating coverage gaps — not because people don’t want to work, but because structural barriers make it harder to meet rigid reporting rules. This policy risks punishing people for where they live, not how they live,” said Dr. Robert J. Trenschel, President and CEO, Onvida Health. “We thank Senator Ruben Gallego for listening to frontline healthcare leaders and recognizing that national policy doesn’t always fit local reality.”
“At Terros Health, we work with over 50,000 individuals and families annually. Many of these individuals are among the most vulnerable. We work to help them manage chronic health conditions, mental health and substance use disorders and economic instability. For them, these proposed provisions are not abstract policy. They are a lifeline,” said Karen Hoffman Tepper, Ph.D, President and CEO of Terros Health. “The proposed cuts to Medicaid put the system of care for these and all Arizonans at risk.”
6/17/25