Alaskan Betty Redd-Mendez has been a caregiver for her family members for almost 28 years. When she traveled to DC three separate times to discuss Medicaid cuts with Dan Sullivan, she was ignored each time – with Sullivan canceling their meeting and instead sending out a staff member who doodled in his notebook instead of listening to Alaskans’ concerns.  

In a new op-ed in Anchorage Daily News, she lays out how Sullivan’s cuts will devastate Alaskans, including caregivers who rely on a “system that’s already strained” in a state where “one-third of Alaskans rely on Medicaid.” 

Alaskans’ premium costs are increasing by 125%, one of the steepest increases in premium spikes in the country. Two Alaska clinics have already closed, five additional hospitals are at risk of closure, and nearly 10,000 fewer Alaskans are on Medicaid following Sullivan’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) being signed into law.

Read more Betty Redd-Mendez’s op-ed here:

Anchorage Daily News: I’m a caregiver. Sen. Dan Sullivan won’t answer my questions about Medicaid cuts.

• I’ve been a caregiver for my family members for almost 28 years, and when I expressed concern about planned Medicaid cuts, Sen. Dan Sullivan refused to meet with me.

• My brother, son and dad all live with me and rely on me for care. When I first learned of Medicaid cuts coming to Alaska, I was immediately concerned. 

• Attacking paid family caregiving could overwhelm a system that’s already strained, with too few workers and long waiting lists for services. 

• But when I went to Washington, D.C., to warn about the impact these cuts would have on Alaskans, Dan Sullivan didn’t show up.

• The overhaul of this safety net is taking healthcare away from children, seniors and veterans, as well as hurting healthcare professionals who care for our loved ones in hospitals, nursing homes and through home care funded by Medicaid.

• Not only do one-third of Alaskans rely on Medicaid for healthcare, but as a rural state, we’re uniquely reliant on Medicaid funding for our hospitals. Even if you aren’t on Medicaid, those cuts are raising healthcare costs for everyone by ripping away revenue sources for our providers. I knew these cuts would devastate Alaska, and I demanded answers from Dan Sullivan about why he supported them.

• After spending weeks finding caregiving coverage for my family, I was finally able to make a trip to Washington, D.C., to ask Dan about his support for these cuts in person.

• After sitting and waiting for an hour with my fellow union members, Sullivan refused to speak with us.

• Finally, Sullivan caved and sent a staff member to sit with us for all of 15 minutes … and I could see that instead of taking notes, he was just doodling in his notebook.

• This was just one of three trips I’ve made where Dan Sullivan has refused to meet with me — a fellow Alaskan and one of his constituents.

• Why won’t Sullivan meet with the Alaskans he was elected to represent? Is he ignorant of the crisis he’s created? Is he ashamed of his votes to rip away care and coverage? Scared to face us?

• I’m still waiting on those answers, and he’s still trying to take away more. As the senator for Alaska, his vote to gut Medicaid is simply unconscionable.

• Dan Sullivan claimed that “no state fared better” under his bill, but since it was signed into law, nearly 10,000 Alaskans have dropped off the Medicaid rolls. And with his repeated votes for the price-hiking war in Iran that’s skyrocketed the cost of living in Alaska even further, I’m confident that those 10,000 Alaskans weren’t magically able to afford healthcare elsewhere.

• Approximately 8 million family caregivers like me rely on Medicaid for their own medical care, and 11 million receive stipends through the program.

• Alaska already has one of the highest rates of individuals unable to access services, and cutting Medicaid is deepening the crisis. Alaska is also one of the fastest-aging states in the country. Without caregivers and peer support, Alaskans will fall through the cracks.

• Our safety net is being stripped, and Dan Sullivan refuses to take accountability for his actions. It’s clear he has simply lost touch with Alaskans.