EDITORIAL: Health care providers' concerns outweigh politicians' reassurances

Aug. 12—Quick show of hands: Who do you trust more, the people who take care of your health or a bunch of politicians who get stacks of money from special-interest groups and rich donors?

We might be in the minority here, but these days we'll take the word of doctors and nurses over members of Congress every time.

So when health care professionals discuss what will happen when thousands of local people lose their health insurance because of that "One Big Beautiful Bill" that Donald Trump and his Republican followers just passed, we're inclined to listen.

A panel of 10 local nurses, health care providers and advocates went over some of the scenarios during a July 30 public forum at the Henry Beauchamp Community Center. Between the Ridges, a local nonprofit group that works to build community, hosted the gathering.

For perspective, let's review some key local facts:

* More than half of Yakima County's residents rely on Medicaid — delivered through Apple Health — for their health insurance. The program covers their physical and mental health treatments, as well as their prescriptions.

* Nearly 87% of county residents under the age of 19 count on Apple Health for help with their health costs.

* According to the state Department of Health, 25% of MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital's gross revenue comes from Medicaid. For Astria Toppenish that figure is 36.9% and at Astria Sunnyside it's 32.2%.

For obvious political reasons, Trump's bill doesn't take full effect until January 2027, safely after the 2026 midterm elections — he and his pals clearly want that vote in the books before people start losing coverage. For equally obvious reasons, the medical community is already feeling anxious.

Christy Trotter, CEO of the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, and other panelists went over some of the bill's coming side effects. The people who'll feel it the most, Trotter explained, will be those who gained insurance eligibility through "Obamacare" — the Affordable Care Act of 2014.

As has been widely reported, the bill will require renewals every six months, and beneficiaries will have to complete 80 hours of work, community service, schooling or other activities to maintain their eligibility.

That, panelists agreed, will likely mean more people without insurance, which in turn will lead to sicker, broker patients visiting hospitals. They'll need treatment, but without insurance, they'll have no way to pay for anything.

That's bad news for people's health and bad news for the finances of local hospitals and long-term care centers.

It's even bad news for people who can afford private insurance and aren't on Medicaid. Because if hospitals or care facilities have to cut staff or reduce services — or close altogether — access to care will get decidedly tougher than it already is in rural settings like ours.

Sure, Rep. Dan Newhouse, the Sunnyside Republican whose 4th Congressional District has more Medicaid recipients than any other district in the state, introduced legislation last month that might offer Astria Toppenish some relief. Newhouse's plan would designate the Toppenish facility as a critical access hospital, making it eligible for some federal dollars.

That doesn't do much for the other health care providers around here, though.

And it seems odd that he thinks the designation is necessary to begin with.

Newhouse, after all, went to great lengths to insist he'd never vote for anything that would cut Medicaid, then voted twice for Trump's rob-the-poor-to-cut-taxes-for-the-rich bill. Now Newhouse is trying to spare Astria from something he still swears isn't even happening?

Considering the uncertainty and rising concerns about the future of Yakima Valley health care, maybe Newhouse and his Republican friends should get better at explaining — honestly — what's so beautiful about this big bill of theirs.

Then again, considering how contradictory their claims have been, maybe we'd be better off seeking a second opinion.

Yakima Herald-Republic editorials reflect the collective opinions of the newspaper's local editorial board.

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