Bend rally raises concerns over possible cuts to Medicaid program

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Service Employees International Union organized a rally Friday evening to address concerns over possible cuts to Medicaid.

SEIU Local 503 said 1.4 million Oregonians use Medicaid and cutting it would not save money but instead cost lives.

The people in attendance came from a number of different backgrounds. Some of them were Medicaid recipients and others were health care providers.

Shelli Adams, a health care provider in Lake County, said, "If cuts happen, they affect human life, because that insurance doesn't just pay for things like doctor visits, it pays for medications. My clients are all on medications for serious illnesses, like dementia."

If there was one singular message the group had it was that they wanted their representatives and congressmen to act in the interests of the public and not private billionaires. Specifically, the group singled out Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., urging him to keep his hands off Medicaid.