That noise you heard on the Fourth of July wasn’t just fireworks - it was the sound of a federal hatchet hitting our local hospitals.

President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is now law. It guts the backbone of our healthcare system, Medicaid, known here as Medi-Cal.

What happens next? Look no further than at two of the biggest institutions and biggest job providers in town:

🏥 UCSD Health is laying off 230 workers.

🏥 Sharp Healthcare is cutting over 300 more.

Why? Because a major share of their funding comes from Medi-Cal reimbursements, especially for mental health and addiction services. 

This follows a national trend. Hospitals across the country are reducing staff in anticipation of Medicaid reimbursement reductions. And it’s just the beginning.

We can expect more staffing crunches at hospitals and clinics. Once federal Medicaid money disappears, the ripple effects will be immediate and serious. 

Not On Medi-Cal? You’re Not Spared

You don’t need to be on Medi-Cal to feel it. These cuts will impact everyone. 

• Patient care will slip: UCSD nurses are already warning that reduced staffing means real harm: patients left in bed too long, medication doses missed, and care delayed.

• Delays will increase across the board. Longer ER wait times. Slower follow-ups. Delayed testing. Cuts to coverage and staffing will stretch the entire system thinner, and we’ll all feel it.

• Emergency rooms will become more crowded. With fewer people qualifying for Medi-Cal, more uninsured patients will turn to the ER. Add fewer nurses and overworked staff, and you get longer waits and lower-quality care for everyone.

• Staff burnout will accelerate. Layoffs and vacancies mean fewer hands doing more work. That’s already driving burnout, morale issues, and a risk of even more departures.

• Mental health crises will rise. Without treatment slots and crisis services, more people will fall through the cracks, ending up on the street, in jail, or worse.

• $10 million has been lost for behavioral health funding. That’s just one piece of what San Diego County stands to lose. With federal support vanishing, we’re left trying to stretch local dollars to cover the gap.

We can’t undo the damage Congress just did. But we can blunt the harm.

And here is how you can help: 

• 🗣️ Have a Medicaid story? Personal stories can change minds. Share yours here → LINK.

• ❓ Ask your Supervisor how they’re responding to the Medi-Cal cuts. It’s time for everyone to go on the record. Find your Supervisor here.

• 🗳️ A local vote may be coming. If Washington won’t protect San Diego, we may have to - together.