Protect Medicaid. Protect Our Neighbors in Toledo.

Op-Ed submitted to The Blade by Rick Marshall, President/CEO of Genacross Lutheran Services.

I see the positive impact that Medicaid has on our communities every day. It’s not just another talking point to come out of the Washington beltway. It keeps families healthy, helps children stay in school, allows older adults to live independently, and empowers people with disabilities to lead full lives.

As the President/CEO of Genacross Lutheran Services, a faith-based health and human services organization in Toledo, I see firsthand what’s possible when people have access to consistent, quality care. And I know what happens when they don’t.

The stakes are real for over 225,000 Ohioans supported by Lutheran social ministries like mine and other health and human service organizations in the 9^th Congressional District. That’s tens of thousands of children, families, older adults, and individuals experiencing homelessness or mental health challenges right here in Toledo and neighboring communities. Medicaid is not just a small facet of this work. It’s what makes it all possible.

Genacross has been helping people in need for more than 165 years, annually serving thousands of individuals and families throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Our ministries provide senior living options, therapy services, youth services, mental health counseling and affordable housing.

Consider Terry, a 72-year-old man living in one of our subsidized senior housing communities who receives Medicaid waiver services. Thanks to Medicaid, Terry receives transportation services, home-delivered meals, light housekeeping and cleaning services, and a nurse to help him with medication setup and management each week. Terry’s family is not local and without these services, he would not be able to remain independent in his own home.

We also serve Lilly, a 16-year-old in our family and youth program, who suffers from major depressive and disruptive mood dysregulation disorders and often has suicidal ideations. With the support of Medicaid, she is able to receive behavioral health treatment and learn the skills she needs to manage her emotions and function in a healthier manner each day. These stories are not isolated. They are happening every day in our organization and in our state.

That care is now in jeopardy. The House of Representatives passed a budget proposal that includes sweeping cuts to funding to the quarter of a million Ohioans in the ninth congressional district who have healthcare coverage through Medicaid. If enacted, these cuts would make it harder for people like Terry and Lilly to get the care they need and hinder the ability of healthcare providers like ours to continue supporting the growing needs of our communities.

I urge Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno to protect the programs that hold our communities together. Don’t take healthcare away from children, older adults, and people with disabilities.

Cutting Medicaid doesn’t save money in the long run. It merely shifts the burden to overcrowded emergency rooms, unpaid family caregivers, and local governments already operating on tight margins. This would destabilize our care systems, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate the challenges faced by families in need.

This could not come at a worse time. Ohio’s population is aging. Our direct care workforce is under tremendous strain. The cost of care is climbing. To keep up, my organization and others in the Lutheran Services in America network are innovating to deliver better care. We combine Medicaid funding with philanthropic support and local partnerships to create sustainable, community-based solutions that improve outcomes and reduce costs. We reinvest in care, not profit. It works, and Ohioans benefit.

Medicaid is one of the most cost-effective public investments we can make. It’s more than a line item in the federal budget. It’s the reason a child can grow up with the security of consistent care. It’s the reason older adults can stay at home because they have access to long-term services that Medicare doesn’t cover. It’s the reason a person in crisis can find help, not just a hospital bed.

Medicaid matters. Let’s protect and strengthen it. Our lives and our communities depend on it.

To the editor: Without Medicaid care, families jeopardized in Toledo | The Blade