Homer residents rally in support of South Peninsula Hospital and Medicaid

Homer residents, health care advocates and workers gathered Wednesday, June 18, to speak out against proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act included in the recently passed House budget reconciliation bill.

A June 16 press release from Protect Our Care Alaska said the cuts would put South Peninsula Hospital, the Homer health care system, and other rural hospitals across Alaska at risk of eliminating key services or shutting down entirely.

Marchers gathered at Karen Hornaday Park at noon before heading to Bartlett Street, near South Peninsula Hospital, to demonstrate support for protecting Medicaid and preserving access to essential health care in Homer. Attendees held signs featuring slogans such as “Care, not cuts” and “PLEASE DEFEND OUR HEALTH.” Several urged Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski to vote against H.R. 1, more commonly known by its alternative name, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The bill was passed in the House on May 22 and is now up for consideration in the Senate.

Therese, who didn’t give a last name, said she wanted to show support for health care and South Peninsula Hospital.

“We need to keep Medicaid,” she said. “We support South Peninsula Hospital. If we lose Medicaid, it’s going to impact long-term care and all the assisted living facilities. Can you imagine people under 65 losing their Medicaid for their long-term care? A country that can’t take care of the people who need to be taken care of? There’s something wrong.”

An older woman paused for a breath while trekking up the steep hillside to the Karen Hornaday parking lot after the march. In her hands, she cradled a sign that read “I <3 SPH.” She said that she doesn’t know what she’ll do if Medicaid is taken away and South Peninsula Hospital, which serves communities as far as Kenai and across the bay in Nanwalek, Seldovia, and Port Graham, is forced to close.

“What if I have an accident and get injured?” she asked. “Where am I supposed to go?”

According to the June 16 press release from Protect Our Care Alaska, Medicaid cuts in the proposed federal budget would gut funding for hospitals like SPH that receive Medicaid reimbursements for care, reducing access to care, eliminating jobs, and harming Homer’s local economy.

The Senate has yet to set an official date to vote on H.R. 1, although reporting from PBS claims that Senate Republicans would like to push it through by July 4, along with any changes made while in Senate consideration. While the federal Congress typically closes for an August recess at the end of July, it is uncertain if the recent escalation in the Middle East will negate the long-standing tradition.