ICYMI: In Northern Arizona, Kelly Hears Directly from Arizonans on the Impact of Medicaid Cuts

On Friday, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly hosted a Medicaid town hall in Clarkdale to hear directly from Arizonans—including health care providers, patients, and social service workers—about the devastating impacts that Medicaid cuts proposed by Trump and Republicans would have on families, seniors, and hospitals in Northern Arizona. 

Christian, a rural hospital nephrologist, shared that many of his patients who need dialysis to survive are considering stopping treatment because they can’t afford it. “Financially, none of the patients I serve can pay out-of-pocket,” he said. “It’s a choice of either massive debt or death.”  

Another woman spoke about her friend, who relies on Medicaid for pain medication after surviving two car accidents and a spinal injury. Without it, she fears her friend might take her own life because of the unbearable pain. She asked Kelly to tell his colleagues, “This is not a country that can’t afford to care for people like her. We can afford to care for everyone if we change our priorities from giving tax cuts to billionaires to taking care of Americans who are in pain every day.”  

Barbara Jo described how Medicaid helps her low-income family afford treatment for her son, who suffers from dystonia. She warned that if forced onto the Affordable Care Act marketplace, “we won’t be able to support ourselves and our son. 

AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid program, provides health care for more than two million Arizonans, including over 750,000 who gained coverage through Arizona’s Medicaid expansion and Proposition 204. AHCCCS ensures working families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities can access essential medical services, including doctor visits, prescriptions, and long-term care. In Northern Arizona alone—across Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo, and Apache Counties—more than 225,000 people are enrolled in AHCCCS and could be left without care if the Republican plan succeeds. 

Kelly reaffirmed his commitment to fighting any efforts to gut Medicaid and take away health care from hardworking Arizonans and pledged to continue bringing their voices back to Washington to protect access to affordable, life-saving care for every community in the state.