Policy decisions in Washington, D.C., are setting the stage for a local healthcare crisis. Recent moves to cut Medicaid and D.C. Healthcare Alliance as well as closing community pharmacies are not abstract shifts. They are direct threats to public health, hitting lower-income and historically marginalized communities first and hardest.
More than 285,000 D.C. residents are covered by Medicaid, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Recent budget cuts threaten to cut 25,000 D.C. residents off Medicaid and slash payouts to healthcare workers for services. Such cuts will lead to fewer services, tighter eligibility and reduced support for clinics, schools and hospitals.
But the harm won’t be spread equally. The majority of D.C. Medicaid enrollees live in communities east of the Anacostia River in Wards 7 and 8, where nearly half of all residents are covered. They live in neighborhoods like my own in Ward 8’s Congress Heights. In addition, my neighbors in Wards 7 and 8 already face higher rates of asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure combined with limited access to care. Those with the greatest need are facing the greatest risk.
In early July, the CVS at 3250 Pennsylvania Ave. SE became the latest pharmacy to shut down. This location regularly served 40,000 residents across Ward 7’s neighborhoods including Penn Branch and Fort Davis. For years, it was one of the only full-service pharmacies east of the river. Residents in these neighborhoods are often left with no comparable alternatives. Pharmacy closures not only inconvenience residents, but also disrupt care. When pharmacies close and Medicaid is slashed, trust in the system breaks down. A gap forms between those who can access basic care and those who cannot.
Last week, I joined a coalition of healthcare workers, community leaders and organizations to lobby Council members to save the D.C. Healthcare Alliance to protect working-class Washingtonians. We discussed the implications of cutting life-saving insurance from those who need affordable insurance. As D.C.’s only elected healthcare worker, I spoke on the impact of rising healthcare costs for uninsured people. I listened to my healthcare-providing colleagues discuss the concerns of managing chronic diseases if D.C. Healthcare Alliance ends. The lobbying group spent two days talking to every Council member’s staff about the need to protect healthcare access for working-class Washingtonians.
Ultimately, we convinced D.C. Council to consider increasing capital gains taxes for the wealthiest D.C. residents and finding other funding sources to keep D.C. Healthcare Alliance alive. This experience further convinces me that D.C. needs more healthcare workers, especially pharmacists, in office. We providers have the firsthand experience needed to guide healthcare legislation. Once we have a healthcare provider on Council, we can begin conversations about PBM reform, Medicare for All and synchronizing drug formularies. All in all, healthcare providers in Council and beyond are key to solving D.C.’s health crisis as we face cuts to services for D.C.’s working class.