Sue Dinsdale is the Executive Director of Iowa Citizen Action Network and the State Lead for Health Care for America NOW.

Apparently, the new official response to Iowa families worried about losing their health care is: “Well, we all are going to die.”

That’s what Senator Joni Ernst told Iowans when asked at a recent town hall meeting about the devastating cuts to Medicaid being proposed in Congress. And while she’s technically correct—we are all going to die—it’s hard to imagine a more callous, out-of-touch response to the very real fear that families like mine carry every day.

Ernst and her colleagues are pushing forward a bill that would slash Medicaid and other core health programs, while extending Trump-era tax breaks that overwhelmingly benefit the ultra-wealthy. If this so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” becomes law, 678,000 Iowans who rely on Medicaid could be at risk—including children, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and working families who are already one bad diagnosis away from financial ruin.

Let me be clear: Medicaid is not waste. It is not abuse. It is one of the most efficient, life-saving programs this country has ever created. It covers nursing home care for our elders, behavioral health services for those struggling with addiction, and basic care for children in families who work multiple jobs but still can’t afford private insurance.

Ernst says we need to cut spending. But the real waste isn’t in Medicaid—it’s in the billions we shovel into tax breaks for the richest 1 percent. While everyday Iowans are told to sacrifice, the wealthiest households could continue raking in an average of $60,000 in tax breaks per year under this plan. That’s more than many Iowa families make in a year.

If these cuts go through, the consequences won’t be abstract. Rural hospitals will close. Seniors will lose in-home care. Parents will skip check-ups for their kids. And yes, people will die—not someday, but sooner than they should have. Preventable. Unnecessary. Avoidable.

Senator Ernst, Iowans don’t expect miracles. We’re not asking to cheat death—we’re asking for the chance to live with dignity. To raise our families. To age with support. To run our businesses and serve our communities without the fear that getting sick will mean going broke—or going without.

If Congress can afford to give trillions in tax breaks to billionaires, it can afford to protect Medicaid for the people who actually keep our economy running. It’s time to get our priorities straight.

And no, “we’re all going to die” is not an acceptable excuse.

---

Top photo of Senator Joni Ernst at her town hall meeting on May 30 is cropped from an image originally published on her official Facebook page.