Health Cuts Hit Women Hard

Women depend on programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to stay healthy. Recent changes by the Trump administration threaten that safety net. The new law slashes Medicaid funding, which could cost over ten million people their insurance. It also forces many rural hospitals and clinics to close, cutting jobs in a field where women make up most of the workers. The Affordable Care Act has helped more than two hundred thousand New Yorkers join health plans in the last year. But without extra tax credits, many can no longer afford their premiums and will lose coverage.About a quarter of those on the marketplace may drop out because they cannot pay. These cuts also hurt reproductive health services. Planned Parenthood clinics, which provide abortions and routine care like cancer screenings, face reduced Medicaid money. Women who rely on these clinics for birth control and pregnancy care will find it harder to get help. State leaders can still protect families. Adding Medicaid money to the budget and keeping essential plans available would stop many from losing coverage. Progressive taxes on the wealthiest could fund programs that keep children fed and cared for.