Rep. Schrier talks Medicaid, mental health at Annual Meeting

In a wide-ranging conversation, Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., spoke about the upcoming budget reconciliation process, the youth mental health crisis, the Department of Health and Human Services’ potential action on vaccines, and the importance of protecting Medicaid.

Schrier, who is the only pediatrician serving in Congress and sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, cautioned that major cuts to Medicaid will not just affect the millions of Americans who use the program to access health care.

“I’m worried about cutting Medicaid, I believe my Republican colleagues are also worried about cutting Medicaid, and I believe everybody out there should be as well,” she said. “If it fails, it will cost all of us. Medicaid serves the most vulnerable in our society and these are people who need care. Someone’s got to pay the bill, and if Medicaid isn’t, the rest of us are."