The District’s shadow representative to the U.S. Congress made an unofficial state of health care emergency on June 2.
Shadow U.S. Rep. Oye Owolewa (D) made his announcement at the monthly meeting of the Ward 7 Health Alliance Network that took place at the Dorothy Height/Benning Neighborhood Library branch in Northeast.
“Today’s declaration is a step to seek funds in order to protect D.C.’s marginalized communities,” said Owolewa, 35.
What has raised Owolewa ire is the proposed cuts to Medicaid in D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
Amid considerations from the D.C. Council, the mayor proposes cutting 25,000 from Medicaid, known as the health insurance program for indigent individuals that is largely publicly funded.
“Cutting 25,000 low-income D.C. residents off their insurance is disastrous,” Owolewa continued. “This will cripple people financially, cause increased displacement and exacerbate current health disparities.”
Owolewa Warns ‘Health Care May Become a Privilege’
The mayor’s proposed cuts are compounded by the U.S. House of Representatives passing a budget resolution that includes provisions that would lead to $700 billion in cuts to federal Medicaid spending over the next decade. The resolution would also reduce Medicaid enrollment by millions and increase the number of uninsured individuals, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The Bowser administration, facing the prospect that the city’s Medicaid costs will grow, proposed $182 million to temper the increase. Specifics of the Bowser adjustments to the Medicaid program include changes to eligibility, benefits and provider rates include: shifting childless adults and adult caregivers between 138% – 200% of the federal poverty level to a new health plan run by the DC Health Benefits Exchange; long-term care, home and community-based reform; drug rebates for zero pay claims; reforming durable medical equipment; pausing inflationary adjustments for rates; and implementing a targeted efficiency level for managed care organizations.
Owolewa said Bowser’s proposal “brings our city closer to the brink of a health care crisis.”
“This budget suggests that moving forward, health care may become a privilege,” Owolewa, a Ward 8 resident, said. “Roughly 24,000 lower income Washingtonians will be losing their access to health care through DC Medicaid. In a few months, Washingtonians aged 21 and up will no longer be able to enroll in the DC Healthcare Alliance.”
Noting that programs such as Medicaid’s Managed Care Organizations and DC Medicaid’s reimbursement rates will be adversely affected by Bowser’s budget, he said residents of marginalized communities will be eliminated from access to medicine, health care facilities and providers.
“With half of Ward 8 residents lacking a primary care provider, a major hospital closing and proposed Medicaid cuts, it’s safe to say that we’re on our way to a health care crisis,” Owolewa said. “Adding to the fact that more working-class people will lose their insurance, DC Medicaid’s budget cut can be viewed as a death sentence.”
Henderson Says ‘Proposed Budget Offers Alternatives’
D.C. Council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large), who serves as the chair of the Committee on Health, said in a May 31 e-newsletter to her constituents that she foresaw tough decisions being made on the city’s financing of Medicaid.
She noted possible solutions have been considered regarding Medicaid.
“In some cases, the proposed budget offers alternatives—for example, individuals who are currently on Medicaid that earn above 133% of the federal poverty level will have the option to maintain health insurance coverage through a basic health plan offered through the DC health benefit exchange,” said the council member.
Henderson told the Informer that she was not aware of Owolewa’s announcement but understood the thrust of it.
In the District, only the mayor and the president of the United States have the authority to declare an official state of emergency. Owolewa is not an official member of the House. Further, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) represents the city in Congress and has limited voting privileges.
Nevertheless, Olwolewa said it is his duty to protect the interest of District residents as an elected official and a healthcare professional.
“My goal as D.C.’s representative and licensed pharmacist is to ensure DC Medicaid is restored to current levels,” he said, “and ensure health care remains a human right and not a privilege.”