Editor’s note: This blog post was originally published on June 26, 2025 as an opinion piece by The Des Moines Register and was written by Lakeisha McVey (she/they), Senior Manager, Lived Experience Engagement at RESULTS – a member organization of CHN.

Families across Iowa are doing everything they can to care for their children while staying afloat. Many are working full-time jobs, juggling medical appointments, navigating confusing systems, and making impossible choices every day. For those raising medically complex or high-needs children, the stakes are even higher. These families don’t need more obstacles — they need support.

That’s what Medicaid provides. I know because my family was one of them.

Many think of Medicaid as the only program that pays for critical assisted living and memory care for aging people. But it also pays for similar services for medically complex children. It makes it possible for parents to go to work knowing their kids are receiving the care they need. It ensures special-needs children can access therapy, daily medical support, or even the only day care in the region that will accept them. It bridges the gap when private insurance falls short. It gives families a fighting chance.

When my child was placed on hospice as an infant, we were told he would need 24/7 medical care for the rest of his short life, even as my husband and I worked full time. The only daycare that could meet his needs exclusively accepted Medicaid for Special Needs Kids. The paperwork was overwhelming, and we were denied initially. It took months of appeals, and facing the risk of losing my son’s spot on the daycare waitlist, until coverage finally came through. Then, finally, he could receive the skilled care he needed and deserved.

That’s why I am deeply disturbed by the Medicaid cuts passed by the U.S. House in their reconciliation bill. If these cuts are passed in the Senate, nearly 11 million Americans could lose Medicaid by 2034. In Iowa alone, tens of thousands of people, from children to seniors, could be left without options, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Without care. Without hope.

When asked about this human cost, Sen. Joni Ernst responded, “Well, we all are going to die.” Then she doubled down with a sarcastic Instagram video. Her words send a chilling message: that Iowan lives don’t matter.

Senator, my child did pass away — at 13 months old. But he spent his short life surrounded by love, dignity, and skilled care, thanks to Medicaid. As I was fighting to give my baby as many days on this earth as I could, would you have looked me in the eyes and said, “Well, we all are going to die”?

Would you say it to the thousands of Iowa parents who simply want the best for their children and rely on Medicaid to provide it?

Senators Ernst and Grassley, you still have a choice. Reject these cuts. Protect the care that Iowa families depend on. Don’t abandon us.