Yuma residents who are on Arizona's Medicaid program told Gov. Katie Hobbs why they depend on the program for their medical needs when she visited a Sunset Health clinic in Yuma last week.
Gov. Hobbs' visit on Friday afternoon came a day after she met with officials from hospital systems from throughout the state in Phoenix. Hobbs predicted that up to a quarter of the nearly 2 million Arizonans currently enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS, the state's Medicaid plan, could lose coverage.
This comes as Republicans in Congress debate Trump's so-called "Big Beautiful Bill", which critics say would cut Medicaid.
Hobbs heard from Sunset patients and officials, including Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Leonard. Everyone stressed the need for AHCCCS, especially in a rural community like Yuma.
Margarita Castillo said she has lived in Yuma for 35 years. She told the governor many people like her depend on AHCCCS.
“I asked her not to let them take away AHCCCS because it is basic and fundamental for us," Castillo told KAWC. "Disabled people can’t be without a doctor. What will we do without AHCCCS? Transportation is critical for us. The help they give us is critical.”
Hobbs said she appreciated hearing from people who would be directly impacted by cuts to Medicaid and wishes Republican elected officials would listen to them as well.
“It reinforced for me the need to fight to keep Medicaid in place and the impact cuts will have," she said. "You can’t balance the budget by killing people. You heard from these folks. People are going to die and we can’t do that.”
Arizona’s budget has a July 1 deadline and Hobbs said she is waiting to hear from Republican lawmakers.
“I put out my budget in January," she said. "I called for border security funding, a big investment in child care… I think there are areas we should be able to find common ground and we’re yet to see a serious proposal from the Republican majority. We’re still waiting to get there but that’s what I’m fighting for.”
While in Yuma, Gov. Hobbs also met with Yuma County Democratic leaders in downtown.
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Stay tuned to KAWC for more on Gov. Hobbs' visit to Yuma last week.
