Michigan Activists Protest GOP Plan to Cut Medicaid With Bridge Banner Action

Last Thursday, right after the Republican-dominated House in the U.S. passed a tax and spending plan, events took place across Michigan against which the locals protested the harmful cuts to the welfare programs that are necessary for their existence, notably Medicaid and food aid.

Lately, a proposal just approved, that renews the tax benefits which were introduced in the era of Donald Trump, significantly benefited not only corporations but also high-income individuals, is aimed at reducing the budget with a view to balancing the loss of the previous fiscal year. It is reported that most cuts of the following programs will be Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which are considered the most critical to the welfare of the poor in America.

People in cities like Detroit and Grand Rapids demonstrated their disagreement with the cuts, conducting protests and telling personal stories to show the effects these cuts might lead to.

During the assembly in Detroit, Antoinette James informed the group of the extent to which Medicaid had been invaluable to her family. Her daughter went through surgery which would have incurred a cost of over $1,000,000 were it not for the program’s intervention. “Without Medicaid, we would have faced foreclosure and bankruptcy,” James shared. “My daughter might not be alive today.” She urged lawmakers to think of the direct victims of their decisions, now it’s clear for her why she called the proposed cuts “inhumane.”

Megan Erskine, the director of a healthcare non-profit organization in Grand Rapids, expressed her worry about the probable difficulties in the bureaucracy that could lead to the majority of people being deprived of the insurance coverage. “When people are taken off of Medicaid because of paperwork issues, they are left without medical care and the healthcare system also has to take care of an uninsured population,” she stated.

Activists in Detroit decided to get the message across to both the public and the decision-makers by splashing large banners over Interstate 96 during the time of coming home from work. Their cause was to remind the policymakers that the people using these programs are not to be forgotten while they are discussing the country’s financial situation.

Such demonstrations gave a clear signal of the concern of the inhabitants of Michigan about taking away aid from the most needy which they are worried would result in much harm not only to individuals but also to the whole health care system.