CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A bill passed by Congress on Thursday and headed to President Trump's desk has raised significant concerns among people even health care providers in the Coastal Bend, many fear it could leave thousands without medical coverage.
"People that have cancer, people that need surgery — possibly life-saving surgeries — people that would need the emergency room… will not get those services. They're going to end up with a big debt," said Dr. James Walker, a Corpus Christi family medicine physician.
Walker warns that the consequences could be dire for many patients.
"They're just gonna avoid care, and they're going to either suffer or they're gonna die," Walker said.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation would cause 11.8 million more Americans to become uninsured by 2034.
Gillian Mason, executive director of HealthCare Now, believes the bill will disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
"Pregnant folks, children, and folks with disabilities who are covered — these are the most vulnerable people in our society. People will lose coverage even if they should still be eligible," Mason said.
District 27 Congressman Michael Cloud supports the bill's passage. In a press release sent to KRIS 6, he stated the bill will be in part "addressing waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid, including work requirements for able-bodied adults 18 to 65 without dependents, cuts back to the provider tax money laundering scheme and implements protections to keep illegal immigrants from receiving Medicaid."
While some celebrate the bill's passage, Dr. Walker continues to protest against it, noting that Corpus Christi is already medically underserved and these cuts will exacerbate existing problems.
"We really struggle even in the best of times to get specialists, to get care, to get beds in a hospital for people — and there's a lot of people that just don't get care here," Walker said.
According to data from CMS.gov, Medicare covers 60% of seniors in Nueces County, and more than 40% of children depend on Medicaid.
With the proposed medical cuts, Mason fears many people will be forced into the private insurance market — if they can afford it — or go without coverage completely.
"This is a major public health watch crisis waiting to happen," Mason said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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