WASHINGTON – Nicole Jorwic hadn’t slept in 30 hours by the time the 24-hour vigil protesting proposed Medicaid cuts ended Thursday afternoon on the National Mall.
The Chicago-based organizer and chief program officer for the advocacy group Caring Across Generations helped lead the event, which her organization hosted.
“We wanted (the Congress) members who are contemplating these massive cuts … to Medicaid to have to hear and see and face the family caregivers, the disabled people of all ages, the aging adults and the care workers who will be directly impacted,” Jorwic told Capital News Service.
Jorwic was joined by 15 Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Jamie Raskin, both of Maryland, disability advocates, health care workers, Medicaid users, a live band and, at the vigil’s peak, at least 300 protesters.
“Keep your hands off our Medicaid,” Van Hollen said. “We cannot stop for one second…we are gathered to make sure that our voices will be heard, and we will keep doing this between now and the time that we save Medicaid.”
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for low-income and disabled individuals. About 71 million Americans, including 1.2 million Marylanders, were enrolled in Medicaid as of September 2024, according to Medicaid’s site.
The vigil, which began on Wednesday afternoon, took place ahead of a House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting to mark up a controversial proposal that would cut federal Medicaid spending by $880 billion over the next decade—a plan that has faced bipartisan backlash.
The markup was originally scheduled for Thursday but has since been pushed to next week. While it’s unclear whether the delay is related to the vigil, protesters and organizers said they feel optimistic.
“The shift in timeline and the differences of opinion on the Hill are absolutely due to all the advocacy that this community here has done over the last weeks and months,” protester and Washington resident Sarah Coombs, 39, said. “I remain hopeful, and I’m hoping that next week’s markup will be further delayed.”
Over the 24 hours, dozens of speakers shared personal stories about Medicaid, including Van Hollen. The senator told the story of Mary H., a constituent from Carroll County, whose 52-year-old son has been battling colon cancer for the past six years. Her son, who undergoes chemotherapy every two weeks, lost his business and now relies on Medicaid. In a letter to Van Hollen, Mary H. wrote that cutting Medicaid would mean a “death sentence” for her son.
“You can not make these big cuts to Medicaid without hurting real people,” Van Hollen said.
Jorwic said that her brother’s reliance on the health insurance program is a major driving force in her fight against its dismantlement.
“From a professional level, Medicaid is a health care program. It provides health care to millions of people,” Jorwic said. “On a personal note…Medicaid means freedom and independence for people like my brother Chris, who has autism, and that’s why I’m here. That’s why I would stay up another 24 hours.”
Sinsi Hernandez-Cancio is a senior fellow for health equity at the National Partnership for Women and Families in Washington. She told CNS that she fears the country would have a lot more sick people, struggling families, death and disabilities without Medicaid.
“Health care is the biggest sector of the national economy and an enormous sector here in the DMV,” she said. “It’s really important that these programs continue so that people can not only get the care they need but that health care workers are able to have the jobs that they need.”
At a Thursday press conference after the vigil, Maryland lawmakers warned that the Trump administration’s proposed sweeping cuts to their state’s health programs, paired with Medicaid cuts, could have devastating effects on their constituents.
“A bunch of us are going to rallies and protests. A rally a day keeps the fascists away,” Raskin, who spoke in the first few hours of the vigil Wednesday, said at Thursday’s press conference.
Van Hollen and Jorwic said this was not the first time Medicaid has been under threat. The first Trump administration tried to abolish the Affordable Care Act in 2017.
“We’re doing the same thing here today…Hell no! We’re not going to let you take away our Medicaid,” Van Hollen said.
Jorwic shared said that her organization plans to continue its advocacy into next week as the new markup date approaches.
“We’re going to have a video truck going around (Capitol Hill) playing a loop of the last 24 hours,” she said. “So our voices and the voices of everyone who is here…are going to be holding (lawmakers) accountable if they vote for these cuts.”
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