“Voters Crave Leadership to Fix Broken Healthcare” After David Valadao’s Vote to Gut Medi-Cal [KVPR]

Randy Villegas, who grew up on Medi-Cal and has consistently rallied for affordable health care — is building momentum as that leader.

REMINDER: Valadao’s vote gutted health care coverage for nearly 70,000 people in CA-22, put 15 Central Valley hospitals at risk of closing, and threatens $90 million in Medi-Cal revenue for district hospitals. As KVPR reports, “The last time healthcare was on the ballot to this extent, Valadao lost his Central Valley seat.”

DCCC Spokesperson Anna Elsasser:
“The Central Valley deserves representation that answers to them and will fight tooth and nail for their access to affordable health care. David Valadao has spent his career undermining that care and betraying his constituents at every turn to please Trump and his party bosses. The Valley will elect Randy Villegas come November.” 

Read more:

KVPR: In toss-up House district, voters crave leadership to fix broken healthcare

• Carlos A. grew up in a family on Medicaid, which made healthcare an afterthought since the public insurance is free for low-income enrollees. But when he received a raise two years ago, he found himself earning too much to qualify for the safety net program. And when he browsed Covered California plans, he found that marketplace prices were still too steep for his comfort.
• “I have to be able to afford my health insurance to go to the doctor, because if not, then there’s no peace of mind,” he added.
• Carlos is one of many voters weighing healthcare costs in California’s 22nd Congressional District, which stretches from Bakersfield up to parts of western Fresno County.
• Carlos was among dozens of people who attended a rally in Bakersfield this month in support of Democratic challenger Randy Villegas. Carlos said healthcare costs will be among the key considerations in his vote in this fall’s midterm election, calling it an issue that both candidates need to address.
• “I do expect them to campaign on healthcare,” Carlos said. “They’d be very foolish not to.”
• Democrats are calling out Valadao’s vote for HR 1, the GOP tax-and-spending law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut billions in healthcare for poor people. The last time healthcare was on the ballot to this extent, Valadao lost his Central Valley seat in 2018…after the Republican lawmaker voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He retook his seat in 2020 by just 1,522 votes.
• According to the California Health Care Foundation, an estimated 1.1 million people are expected to lose coverage by 2030…
• [Randy] Villegas… has highlighted how Valadao’s HR 1 vote will be felt by low-income residents across the district.
• …He grew up as a Medi-Cal recipient…The current 22nd District… had the highest Medicaid enrollment rate — 64% — of any Republican-held seat in the nation, according to KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.
• “David Valadao voted to cut healthcare for nearly 70,000 people in the Valley to give tax breaks to billionaires and his wealthy donors,” Villegas said in a statement. “In Congress, I’ll fight to reverse those cuts and lower healthcare costs.”
• Valadao’s office didn’t return requests for comment.
• For Hanford resident Patreza Newton, affording healthcare has become deeply cumbersome. She hopes that whoever wins the election will work to prioritize healthcare, saying the current health system is unaffordable.
• As she considers how to vote this fall, she said she isn’t looking for overwhelming promises but rather a leader who understands what families are experiencing.
• “I do think there should be a way that people can afford it,” she said, “no matter who they are.”

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