Kiggans and Colleagues Urge House Leadership to Protect and Improve Medicaid

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) joined a group of 11 Congressional colleagues in sending a letter to House leadership advocating for thoughtful, targeted Medicaid reform that will protect the vulnerable populations who rely on it while preserving the integrity of the program. In the letter, Congresswoman Kiggans and her colleagues stress the importance of improving Medicaid for those who the program was intended to help – children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women.

As a nurse practitioner, Congresswoman Kiggans knows how critical accessible, affordable healthcare is for people in Virginia’s Second District and across the country. In Congress, she has consistently championed commonsense solutions that increase access to affordable healthcare – especially in underserved and rural communities – leading efforts to strengthen the healthcare workforce, expand telehealth services, and improve mental health resources. She believes in thoughtful reforms to Medicaid that modernize the program, cut waste, fraud, and abuse, and increase transparency by returning work requirements.

Read the full letter here and below.

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Scalise, Majority Whip Emmer and Chairman Guthrie: 

As Members of Congress who helped to deliver a Republican Majority, many of us representing districts with high rates of constituents who depend on Medicaid, we would like to reiterate our strong support for this program that ensures our constituents have reliable healthcare. Balancing the federal budget must not come at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and economic security. 

We acknowledge that we must reform Medicaid so that it is a strong and long-lasting program for years to come. Efficiency and transparency must be prioritized for program beneficiaries, hospitals, and states. We support targeted reforms to improve program integrity, reduce improper payments, and modernize delivery systems to fix flaws in the program that divert resources away from children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women – those who the program was intended to help. However, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations. 

Cuts to Medicaid also threaten the viability of hospitals, nursing homes, and safety-net providers nationwide. Many hospitals—particularly in rural and underserved areas—rely heavily on Medicaid funding, with some receiving over half their revenue from the program alone. Providers in these areas are especially at risk of closure, with many unable to recover. When hospitals close, it affects all constituents, regardless of healthcare coverage. 

To strengthen Medicaid, we urge you to prioritize care for our nation’s most vulnerable populations. Our constituents are asking for changes to the healthcare system that will strengthen the healthcare workforce, offer low-income, working-class families expanded opportunities to save for medical expenses, support rural and underserved communities, and help new mothers. 

We are committed to working with you to preserve Medicaid and identify responsible savings through deregulation, streamlining federal programs, and cutting administrative red tape. Communities like ours won us the majority, and we have a responsibility to deliver on the promises we made.

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