Congressman Cleaver Highlights Impact of GOP Cuts to Medicaid During Dialysis Center Visit
(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05) visited a local dialysis center and met with staff and patients to discuss the impact of Republican-led budget cuts to Medicaid on necessary, lifesaving treatment. Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of people, including those with and at risk for chronic kidney disease and dually eligible (Medicaid and Medicare) dialysis patients. Nearly 50 percent of all end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients nationwide rely on Medicaid for coverage of care. Additionally, more than 13,827 Missourians are living with kidney failure – without dialysis or a transplant, this disease is fatal.
“Today, on Medicaid Day of Action, I visited a dialysis center in the heart of my congressional district to highlight the vital role Medicaid plays for patients who rely on it for lifesaving treatment,” said Congressman Cleaver. “For so many Americans, Medicaid is the difference between accessing the care they need at an affordable price and facing life-threatening consequences or lifelong debt. The Republican push to gut Medicaid to fund another tax cut for their billionaire benefactors is a direct attack on the health and dignity of our most vulnerable neighbors. Just as Democrats stood up to protect the Affordable Care Act in the first Trump Administration, I am committed to defending Medicaid for all those who rely on the vital program—because no one should be forced to choose between their health and their financial security.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Republican-led budget cannot meet its fiscal target without significant cuts to Medicaid, which would impact Missourians relying on lifesaving dialysis treatment by:
- Changing Medicaid coverage or work requirements for eligibility
- Threatening ability for dialysis providers to continue to provide care as a result of consolidation, closure, or reduction in medical staff
- Limiting or eliminating transportation to life-sustaining treatment
- Eliminating services through the Home and Community Based Care program
- Reducing access to care with fewer patients receiving early intervention
- Increasing mortality rates, reversing gains and leading to more deaths among dialysis patients
- Creating greater financial burden for patients
Research shows that access to Medicaid leads to better health outcomes. Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, 41 states and the District of Columbia expanded their Medicaid programs, while 9 states did not. Differences in health status in the states that expanded Medicaid have been observed, including improved blood pressure and blood glucose levels – the leading cause of kidney disease in the U.S. with nearly 75 percent of new cases of kidney failure being traced to diabetes or hypertension.
In states that expanded Medicaid, data shows lower mortality rates in the first year among people who started dialysis, compared to those in states that did not expand Medicaid coverage. Additionally, more patients in states with Medicaid expansion were preemptively placed on the transplant list so they could be on dialysis for a shorter period of time.
It is simple, Medicaid is a critical safety net for individuals with kidney disease. Efforts to reduce or eradicate Medicaid will restrict efforts towards early detection and management of kidney disease and increase the risk of kidney failure and dialysis. The long-term implications of Medicaid cuts will harm early intervention and continuity of care for kidney patients, impacting those most vulnerable and leading to greater costs for the overall health care system.
President Trump said we will “love and cherish” Medicare and Medicaid. House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed that Republicans will not cut Medicaid or Medicare to pay for their tax cuts. Well, they lied. President Trump endorsed and House Republicans passed their “big beautiful bill” that requires deep, damaging cuts to Medicaid.
In Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, 159,359 Missourians on Medicaid are at risk of losing their health care under the Republican budget, including 79,000 children and 15,000 seniors over the age of 65.
Photos from Rep. Cleaver’s dialysis center visit can be found here.
Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.