U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison Highlights Threat of Proposed Medicaid Cuts on Minnesota Hospitals

Today, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) hosted a virtual press conference to highlight the devastating effects that Medicaid cuts would have on the health care system in Minnesota. Rep. Morrison was joined by Minnesota Hospital Association President and CEO Dr. Rahul Koranne, North Memorial Health CEO Trevor Sawallish, and Hennepin Healthcare CMO Dr. Eric Ling.

Good morning everyone,

Thank you so much for joining us. 

I’m Kelly Morrison – Congresswoman for Minnesota’s Third District. I’m also a physician and I’ve had the honor of caring for Minnesotans for more than 20 years. 

We are here this morning to discuss the threat that the proposed extreme cuts to Medicaid would have on our health care system here in Minnesota.

I’m so grateful to be joined by some of our incredible leaders from the Minnesota Hospital Association, North Memorial Health, and Hennepin Healthcare System – who work so hard to keep our communities healthy and thriving. 

You’ll get to hear from all three of them shortly – I just want to make a couple of key points here at the top. 

First, what we’re here to do today is to make explicitly clear:

The current proposed extreme funding cuts to Medicaid would force hospitals in Minnesota to cut services – or shut down entirely.

Full stop.

Right now, the current budget proposal that is under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives calls for at least $880 billion in funding cuts to Medicaid. That is a historic level of gutting of the health insurance program that covers 80 million Americans, including 1.4 million babies, children, new moms, families, people living with disabilities, and seniors right here in Minnesota.

This isn’t about hypotheticals… this isn’t speculation… the basic math has repeatedly shown that:

If Medicaid were to be cut by $880 billion: millions of people would lose health coverage across the country and hospitals in Minnesota will be forced to cut services or shut down entirely.

You’ll hear directly from our local hospital leaders on what the proposed Medicaid cuts would mean for services, clinics, and care here in Minnesota – but we’re here to ring the alarm bells today, because we simply cannot have services cut and hospitals shut down in our state. 

It would be a disaster.

But that is exactly what is at stake.

Every Minnesotan should know this. Because this isn’t just about the 1.4 million Minnesotans who get their health care through Medicaid, or Medical Assistance as we call it here in Minnesota.

This is about the fact that if one of our Level 1 Trauma Centers in the metro closes down – that’s one less place you can go when you or a loved one has a stroke or gets in a car accident. 

This is about the fact that if another hospital in Greater Minnesota has to shut down, Minnesotans will have to travel so many more miles to get to the next nearest place to get care.

This is about the fact that our health care system is already strained – and these Medicaid cuts would only mean more services cut, more strained health care systems. We would all pay the price.

I just want to be really clear that these cuts have consequences. Real consequences for all of us. And we can’t let them become a reality.

Which leads me to the second point I want to make: there is hope – we can stop these proposed cuts.

These proposed cuts to Medicaid have not yet been finalized.

Standing up… speaking out… sharing stories – all are happening and are creating real public pressure and it is working.

I was so heartened earlier this year when more than a dozen Minnesota Republican state legislators sent a letter to President Trump and the Republican members of Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation imploring them to not cut Medicaid. They highlighted the dangerous threat that the budget poses to Minnesotans’ health and economy. They – very correctly – called these proposed cuts “unworkable” … “unmanageable” … they said it would “devastate” services, and put “incredible pressure” on the state budget.

Then, just last month, a dozen Congressional Republicans sent a letter to their leadership voicing their opposition to Medicaid cuts.

And then just this week, House Republicans had to push back the committee hearing they had scheduled to release the specifics of their Medicaid cuts because they’re facing increasing pressure every day – and the resistance opposing these cuts is only getting stronger.

And that’s because people understand how harmful - how devastating - these cuts would be. 

They have joined the fight to save Medicaid. 

Patients, providers, hospitals, state legislators, federal legislators, the American people are coming together to save Medicaid.

And here’s the thing: this cannot and should not be a partisan issue. 

Health care is NOT a partisan issue. 

We all need it!

No matter where you live, who you vote for…everybody needs access to health care and open, functioning hospitals. 

And as a physician and on behalf of all Minnesotans – I will continue to fight against these cuts every single day. 

And I know there are a lot of people in this fight with us, so with that, I’ll turn it over to Minnesota Hospital Association President and CEO Dr. Rahul Koranne. Thank you, Dr. Koranne.