Willie Murphy has been a patient at Jordan Health Center for 10 years. She said every time she comes to her appointments she’s greeted with warmth and a smile.
“I say to myself, if you got to be sick, be sick with people that'll take care of you from the Jordan Health Clinic,” Murphy said.
Although she’s an active 88-year-old, Murphy still suffers from high blood pressure. But the clinic has helped her get that under control with medication and healthier choices.
“I am drinking water five times a day, and guess what, I'm upright instead of six feet underground,” she said.
Murphy is one of the many patients at Jordan Health who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage. But President Donald Trump’s federal spending bill could add more restrictions to qualify for these benefits, which also includes SNAP or food stamps.
“It is through the funding of Medicaid programs that Jordan can cover the cost to make sure our patients receive the high-quality health care that they've come to expect from us,” said Dr. Linda Clark, president and CEO of Jordan Health.
Clark said roughly 72% of the center’s patients depend on Medicaid programs, but those benefits could be changing. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, visited the Jordan Health on Monday to bring attention to problem she sees in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“It's literally just giving the money that would be spent on health care for our neighbors and our loved ones to billionaires and millionaires who don't need a tax cut,” Gillibrand said. “It's really unethical, immoral and incomprehensible.”
Republicans have argued the cuts are more about focusing the Medicaid program so states can care for the most vulnerable over those who aren't eligible.
Latest estimates from the Congressional Budget Office report over 10 million people in the United States could lose their health insurance in the next 10 years if the bill passes.
Gillibrand called the bill a “merciless assault on the nation's most vulnerable.” She fears the bill could also force the closure of hospitals that depend on Medicaid reimbursements as an additional financial resource, particularly hospitals in rural areas.
“It’s a big, beautiful betrayal,” Gillibrand said.
The bill recently passed the House and is still being reviewed and debated in the Senate.
