Cuts to ACA health insurance, Medicare, Medi-Cal threaten local healthcare: What you need to know

The reconciliation bill passed by Congress in July includes cuts to Medicare, Medi-Cal and Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, cuts that threaten local residents' access to healthcare. To address these threats, the Auburn Area Democrat Club (AADC) has organized a Community Forum with four healthcare professionals who will speak to what the cuts will mean for our community. These are local, highly respected leaders in the healthcare field, and the goal is to hear how these leaders are working to protect our community and how community members can be involved. The Community Forum will take place Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Placer County Health & Human Services building at 11434 B Avenue in Auburn. The public is welcome, and there is no charge for this program. The event is open to the public, although it is best to register in advance to guarantee a seat. The link for the forum is https://mobilize.us/s/75DYtw The need for this Community Forum arises from the fact the Trump Administration has cut Medicare, Medi-Cal (California's version of Medicaid) and low-cost health insurance, threatening the ability of citizens to access needed healthcare. The effects of these cuts will directly and deeply impact rural areas. Many rural clinics and hospitals will be forced to close, and health insurance is getting increasingly difficult to get and expensive to maintain. The four healthcare professionals on the panel for the Community Forum are: Jennifer Malone, CEO of Western Sierra Medical Clinic; Steve Holm, Clinic Director and Community Outreach Director for Auburn Renewal Center Medical Clinic; Megan Booras, Health and Human Services Program Manager at Placer County Health and Human Services; and Brandon Bettencourt, Director of Quality and Patient Engagement for Chapa-De Indian Health. These organizations see the majority of the people in our region who will be impacted by the cuts, and they are already stretched in providing care. "Auburn-area residents, many of whom are seniors, veterans or have low incomes, already struggle to access timely, affordable healthcare," Malone explained. "The changes coming with cuts to Medicare and Medi-Cal, plus the loss of insurance subsidies, are going to make a difficult situation much worse. Now is the time to come together and plan for how we can better meet the needs of our community residents." This healthcare forum is just one of a series of events and outreach projects of the Placer County Democratic Club (PCDC). On Sept. 7, there was a program (Playdate, Storytime, and Book Drive) in partnership with Friends of the Library Placer County. Author Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson hosted the Storytime, and books were collected for the Head Start Program in Placer County. On Sept. 27 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., AADC will host a second Downtown Roseville Cleanup in partnership with the Sierra Club and Dry Creek Conservancy. All are welcome to join at 205 Jefferson St, Roseville. On Sept. 20, the Democratic Club of Lincoln, in partnership with Feeding the Foothills, will host a luncheon from 11:30 a..m. to 2 p.m. at its warehouse. The luncheon, catered by Code 3 Catering, is $50 per person and includes entry into a grand prize drawing, plus a tour of the facility. To register, go to: https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/816641/ All proceeds raised will go to Feeding the Foothills, a vital food bank for the Sierras.