By Dianne Anderson

What’s about to go down with Medi-Cal if the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passes has advocates wringing their hands and biting their nails over the fate of their community—young and old, who rely on free and low-cost health services.

Last week, Rep. Pete Aguilar joined Dr. Travis Henson with warnings about the impact of Republican-led Medicaid cuts under H.R.1 for the health of Inland Empire families.

Speaking outside the Emergency Department at Dignity Health St. Bernardine Medical Center, Rep. Aguilar described the bill’s disastrous ripple effect for those who need ER care for flu strains and more serious injuries. He slammed the Trump Administration and Republican Congress for turning back the important progress made since the Affordable Care Act passed.

“Their one big ugly bill, if signed into law by the President, could mean emergency rooms like this will fill up and hospitals across the country will close,” he said.

Expect healthcare challenges in the IE to be made worse by the cuts, he added, that will impact vital programs at a time when people should work to strengthen affordable healthcare, rather than taking it away.

“So why are House Republicans doing this? They’re taking away healthcare to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and wealthy corporations. Working families deserve better,” he said.

Dr. Travis Henson, an Emergency Room doctor, talked about his love of the community and the hospital, but said that Medicaid is not just about the numbers.

“We’re not talking about just money or a line item. We’re talking about people,” he said. “Medicaid is a lifeline for many of my patients. In fact, at St. Bernadine’s, 60 to 70% of our patients are funded by Medicaid in one way or another.”

With 14.1 million people in California on Medicaid, he said the cuts would mean less ability for clinics to see patients. It would cause overcrowding of emergency departments, longer delays, fewer services, and higher risks for patients.

“At the heart of this message, it really is people. We’ve got to take care of the population that surrounds us and the families who rely on Medicaid for their life-saving and life-sustaining care,” he said.

For whatever confusion exists around the huge H.R.1 proposal, health advocates agree the cuts will be deep, hospitals will close, medical workers will lose jobs, and health access will be much less available for seniors, but cost so much more.

“If Republicans move this extreme MAGA proposal forward, millions will lose coverage, hospitals will close, and safety nets could collapse under the weight. We must sound the alarm because the stakes couldn’t be higher,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.

H.R.1, now on the Senate side, would impact 42% of San Bernardino residents. About one in five city residents are below the poverty line, higher than both state and county averages.

Several state-level leaders also warn the cuts will strip 3.4 million Californians of health care, those insured through the Affordable Care Act expansion, with at least $22 billion in cuts to Medicaid funding threatening hospitals and health providers.

The bill, proposed by House Republicans, along with other new federal rules from the Trump Administration, punishes low-income adults with the cuts, but also nonprofit providers like Planned Parenthood face cuts from Medicaid funding entirely.

Nichole Ramirez said federal Medicaid cuts and specific ‘defunding’ of Planned Parenthood language currently going through Congress would severely impact the ability of thousands of local people to access needed care.

“We are looking into multiple options to help mitigate any potential federal funding loss so that we can continue to serve the patients who rely on us,” said Ramirez, Senior Vice President of Communication and Donor Relations at Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.

She said they are thoughtfully preparing, but a specific course of action ultimately depends on how events unfold.

“While we don’t know exactly what will happen in the future, the one thing that is certain is that we remain committed to our mission and our patients, no matter the challenges we face,” she said.

Researchers at UC Berkeley Labor Center analyzed potential impacts, including how proposed federal Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) cuts, $880 Billion over 10 years to offset tax cuts, will benefit mostly the wealthy.

Under the bill, Californians could lose up to 217,000 jobs with two-thirds of those losses in healthcare sectors, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, in-home care, insurance companies, and more. They say about 15 million Californians who rely on Medi-Cal, including low-income seniors, will take the biggest hit. About 1.3 million Californians are “dual eligible” for both Medicare and Medicaid.

Nearly one in four seniors statewide who are on Medicaid will see increased out-of-pocket costs. Justice in Aging said that at $83,000 per year for out-of-pocket at-home care and $147,000 annually for nursing home stays, long-term care is unaffordable without Medi-Cal.