The Kentucky Democratic Party continued its media tour in defense of Medicaid at the Rowan County Public Library Thursday. At the conference officials focused on eastern Kentucky’s increasingly difficult fight against high cancer rates and the need for Medicaid.
Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said she understands the process as much as anyone, as she herself has fought and survived breast cancer.
“Medicaid is the only lifeline for many Kentuckians to have that same chance to catch a cancer diagnosis early and to make sure that they live close enough to a hospital to actually be able to be treated,” Coleman said. “And these reckless decisions coming out of Washing DC will not just close 35 rural hospitals, it will cost Kentuckians 20,000 jobs in rural healthcare and 200,000 Kentuckians their access to healthcare coverage.”
Coleman said the bulk of these changes and decisions were brought around by the president’s “big, beautiful bill” which she said cuts a trillion dollars to the health care system and will soon cut SNAP funding. Officials with the party said they would like to work alongside Republican lawmakers in Frankfort and DC to undo the damage to healthcare coverage.
Pam Pilgrim, a Wolfe County resident and 45-year cancer survivor spoke at the conference. She said the budget cuts will give cancer an unfair advantage.
“Medicaid has been a life a life saver in eastern Kentucky. It has allowed patients to see doctors sooner; to get diagnosed and get the proper care they need to help them survive. So many of my neighbors and friends depend on Medicaid to get all their medical treatment,” Pilgrim said. “The truth is we are losing far too many people to cut this life saving program by one trillion dollars.”
Pilgrim said Medicaid is the fuel the keeps hospitals going in rural cities like Morehead, Flemingsburg, and Paris.
Republican leadership in Frankfort did not respond to requests for comment.