Washington, D.C. - Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) voted against the Republican plan to cut healthcare for millions of vulnerable patients under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations that don’t need them. The Republican plan would kick 13.7 million people off of their healthcare, according to an analysis by the independent Congressional Budget Office. And the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has found that the bill could add $37 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years. After the House voted 215-214 to advance the legislation, Rep. Peters released the following statement:  

“Not only is the Republican tax plan fiscally irresponsible, it is also unnecessarily cruel. Our country borrows $2 trillion every year just to keep the lights on. That number will only grow and add to our colossal debt under this tax plan. But Republicans aren’t trying to reduce the debt, they are kicking people off their healthcare to lower taxes for the highest earners. If we allowed marginal taxes for people making more than $609,000 to go from 37 to 39.6 percent, where it was in 2017, we could generate up to $402 billion in revenue over 10 years. Those people would pay a bit more in taxes, and we could avoid kicking millions of people off their healthcare. 

“Irresponsible borrowing like this is why Moody’s, for the first time ever, downgraded our credit rating, why the stock market is falling, why the bond markets are going haywire, and why consumers are worried they won’t be able to keep up with rising prices. It is time to have an honest and tough bipartisan conversation about how we reduce the debt. While today’s vote was disappointing, I will continue to fight this debt-financed plan as it moves through the Senate.” 

Read about Rep. Peters’ opposition to the tax plan in the Energy and Commerce Committee here.  

Read about Rep. Peters’ opposition to the tax plan in the Budget Committee here.  

CA-50 Medicaid Facts: 

• 156,100 people in the district rely on Medicaid for health coverage—that’s 20 percent of all district residents. 
  • 34,700 children in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
  • 17,700 seniors in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
  • 64,900 adults in the district have Medicaid coverage through Medicaid expansion—that includes pregnant women who are able to access prenatal care sooner because of Medicaid expansion, parents, caretakers, veterans, people with substance use disorder and mental health treatment needs, and people with chronic conditions and disabilities. 
• At least five hospitals in the district had negative operating margins in 2022. These hospitals would be especially hard-hit by cuts to Medicaid. For example: 
  • Scripps Mercy Hospital had a negative 25.3 percent operating margin—and nearly 22 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
  • Sharp Coronado Hospital had a negative 3.5 percent operating margin—and over 36 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
  • University of California San Diego Medical Center had a negative 2.4 percent operating margin—and nearly 19 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
• There are 54 health center delivery sites in the district that serve 529,944 patients. 
• Those health centers and patients rely on Medicaid—statewide, 69 percent of health center patients rely on Medicaid for coverage. 
• Health centers will not be able to stay open and provide the same care that they do today, with more uninsured and underinsured patients. They are already operating on thin margins—in 2023, nationally, nearly half of health centers had negative operating margins. 
• Medicaid cuts put health centers at risk, including: 
  • Family Health Centers of San Diego 
  • Neighborhood Healthcare 
  • North County Health Project 
  • San Diego American Indian Health Centers 
  • St. Vincent De Paul Village 

Representative Peters is the co-author of the Fiscal Commission Act, legislation to create a bicameral and open-door commission to tackle our nation’s long-term debt, help us avoid automatic and across-the-board cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and secure a more prosperous future for our children. 

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