| Last week, Gabe Vasquez put a spotlight on House Republicans’ devastating attacks on rural health care by inviting Aaron Vega, a physician assistant from Carlsbad Family Health Center in New Mexico, as his guest to the State of the Union.
Vega is at the front lines of the health care crisis after Republicans voted to slash Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion – a disastrous decision that will rip away health care from almost 89,000 New Mexicans.
“The truth is our health care system is struggling and working families can’t make ends meet.” – Rep. Vasquez
“Serving a rural New Mexican community, my guest sees the impact of Congressional Republicans’ health care cuts every single day.” – Rep. Vasquez
DCCC Spokesperson Anna Elsasser:
“Gabe Vasquez is keeping his promise to represent everyone in New Mexico’s Second District by standing up for rural communities and fighting to protect their health care.”
Read more about how Rep. Vasquez is uplifting the fight for rural health care:
Carlsbad Current Argus: Carlsbad health care provider attends Trump’s State of the Union with Rep. Vasquez
- Aaron Vega worried President Donald Trump’s policies could restrict patients’ access to healthcare.
- A physician assistant at Carlsbad Family Health Center, Vega… said recent cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs could leave many New Mexicans…unable to access the treatments they need.
- The Family Health Center will treat patients in need regardless of their insurance coverage, Vega said, but a lack of coverage can affect the kinds of treatments they receive, namely preventative care such as cancer screening and colonoscopies.
- “What concerns us about patients losing Medicaid… There’s a lot of preventative measures that get held up when a patient doesn’t have health insurance.”
- “Rural health care is very important. We need to make sure the president addresses health care in a meaningful way,” Vasquez said. “It is the president’s directive to work on behalf of New Mexicans and Americans. I would like to see more focus on improving their lives.”
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- “This year, a health care provider from Carlsbad joined me at the State of the Union because despite what we heard tonight from the President, the truth is our health care system is struggling and working families can’t make ends meet,” Vasquez said in a statement.
- “Serving a rural New Mexican community, my guest sees the impact of Congressional Republicans’ health care cuts every single day, from clinics’ budget cuts and staffing challenges to patients struggling to access their medications.”
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- “My goal when coming here was just to express my concern for my patients and anything or any policy or anyone who advocates for access to care and patient care is really what I focus on,” Vega said.
- “Whether (they are) Republican or Democrat, if somebody advocates for health care, especially in the district of Vasquez and my city, that’s important to me.”
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