Sacramento, Calif. – Today marks a sad day for the United States healthcare system and the patients it was meant to serve. The passage of this legislation will strip away healthcare coverage for more than 17 million Americans—real people who depend on Medicaid to survive.
As physicians, we took an oath to do no harm. The self-proclaimed “Big Beautiful Bill” does precisely the opposite—inflicting harm on the health of our communities and abandoning our most vulnerable patients when they need us most.
Our members witness firsthand the devastating impact that gaps in healthcare coverage have on patient outcomes. Delayed care leading to advanced disease progression. Financial barriers preventing early intervention. The absence of coverage turns manageable conditions into medical emergencies. In recent months, members have reported a significant decrease in office visits due to ICE raids in California and Washington, D.C., fear driving people away from receiving care.
This legislation will force physicians into an impossible position: watching patients suffer from treatable conditions while being unable to provide the care they desperately need. Emergency rooms will become overwhelmed with patients seeking care they cannot afford elsewhere. Hospitals will face increased financial strain from uncompensated care. Most importantly, preventable deaths will increase.
We cannot stand silently as our patients lose access to life-saving treatments, preventive care, and basic medical services. Public health requires that everyone have access to healthcare. When communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and venereal diseases go untreated, they spread throughout our communities, affecting everyone—knowing no boundaries of insurance coverage.
The Union of American Physicians and Dentists calls upon Congress to immediately reconsider this misguided legislation. Healthcare is not a privilege to be rationed—it is a fundamental human right that should be protected, not stripped away.
We encourage everyone to continue using their voices, contact their representatives, and demand accountability.
Our patients deserve better. Our profession demands better.