Big bill, big consequences

To the Editor:

The “Big Beautiful Bill” has passed, and it is now official. There is over a one trillion dollar reduction in Medicaid over 10 years. In Wisconsin, we also call ours BadgerCare.

These cuts won’t affect most of us: we have health insurance from our employers, or another source. But wait! Do they affect us? 17 percent of residents in Oneida and Vilas counties have BadgerCare or Medicaid, 6,460 in Oneida County and 4,046 people in Vilas County. People with Medicaid don’t stop getting sick. They stop going to doctor appointments. They can’t afford to manage their chronic illnesses like COPD or diabetes, their children don’t receive regular check-ups or childhood immunizations. They’ll wait until their condition gets so bad they need to be seen in the emergency department. And, the hospital won’t get paid.

Emergency Department visits in our congressional district 7 number more than 280,000 a year. Over 5,000 births annually. Over 15,000 hospital employees. When rural hospitals lose 17 percent of their income, cuts must be made. Historically, the first to go is labor and delivery. Right now, only about 50 percent of rural hospitals deliver babies. 

Equipment doesn’t get upgraded or replaced. Corners are cut. When they cannot cut anymore, they will close. One rural hospital in McCook, Neb. has already announced its closure as a result of these cuts.

Many in our community will lose their jobs: nurses, respiratory therapists, cooks, CNAs, laboratory personnel: homeowners whose taxes fund the schools, fire department and parks. They may have to move to find work.

But Medicaid cuts don’t just cut reimbursement for hospitals, and clinics, it cuts payments to nursing homes. Approximately 40 percent of nursing home residents have their stay paid by Medicaid. According to the AHCA (American Healthcare Association) one quarter of nursing homes will be forced to close. 

These cuts take effect after next year’s elections. The delay was designed so that our elected officials can get reelected before we realize what they have done to rural Wisconsin. Both Tom Tiffany and Ron Johnson voted for the Medicaid cuts. Tiffany is up for reelection next year, Johnson in 2028.

Wisconsinites are not stupid. And, we don’t forget. We will remember at the ballot box. 

Pat O’Grady

Rhinelander