Magaziner Tours Kent Hospital, Meets with Leaders on Health Care Affordability Crisis

WARWICK, RI - U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02)today met with Rhode Island health care leaders at Kent Hospital for a roundtable discussion on the urgent need to address rising health care costs as Congress debates the inclusion of continued health care funding in the federal budget. Magaziner and the leaders also toured the hospital's Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) Unit.

The roundtable comes as Magaziner continues to push the Republican-controlled Congress and White House to confront the health care affordability crisis in a government funding spending agreement, including calling for a reversal of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts passed in July and calling for the extension of critical health care tax credits set to expire at the end of this year.

Magaziner spent this week in Washington urging the Republican-controlled Congress and White House to take immediate action to address the health care crisis. House Republicans were not in Washington for the duration of the week when federal government funding lapsed. During today's event, Magaziner emphasized his commitment to reopening the government, protecting health care forRhode Islanders, and passing a budget that ends the shutdown that began Wednesday.

"We are now in a Republican government shutdown because President Trump and Congressional Republicans have presented the American people with a false choice: either shut down the government or cut millions of people off their health care and drive costs even higher," said Magaziner. "This is not a choice we need to accept. Rhode Islanders are already facing a health care affordability crisis, and we need urgent action to lower costs, protect the health care system, and reopen the government."

"As hospitals across Rhode Island face unprecedented financial and workforce challenges, we are grateful to Congressman Magaziner, and the entire RI Federal Delegation, for his steadfast commitment to protecting access to care for our patients. The looming Medicaid cuts and loss of critical healthcare support will jeopardize services for our most vulnerable neighbors and further strain an already fragile health system. By joining us here at Kent Hospital today, Congressman Magaziner is showing that he understands the urgency of this crisis and the need for immediate action. We look forward to working with him and our leaders in Washington to ensure every Rhode Islander can continue to count on affordable, high-quality care close to home," said Michael Wagner, MD, FACP, President and CEO, Care New England.

You can view or download photos from the event here.

BACKGROUND

This event comes as Affordable Care Act health care tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts to keep them in place. The credits currently help 22 million Americans, including more than 40,000 Rhode Islanders who have commercial insurance plans through HealthSource RI, afford their health coverage.

During the event, the roundtable participants emphasized that if tax credits expire, working people will face steep premium increases, and the loss of federal health care funding will ripple through our health care system, impacting hospitals and providers and raising health insurance costs for everyone.

In addition, health care costs are rising due to deep cuts to Medicaid passed by Congressional Republicans earlier this year, which will kick 15 million people off their health insurance. All these factors are contributing to a health care affordability crisis that is now compounded by a government shutdown.