Roger Marshall, as a doctor, you know Medicaid cuts will devastate Kansas | Opinion

An open letter to Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall:.

You are a physician. You know exactly what’s at stake when access to health care is stripped away. That’s why your actions are not just disappointing — they’re shameful.

You stand in front of cameras touting mobile cancer screening vans while quietly setting rural Kansas hospitals on a collision course with collapse. These mobile vans may find cancer — and that is a step forward. But after the hospitals close, where exactly are Kansans supposed to go for treatment?

The One Big Beautiful Bill you championed with President Donald Trump hides massive Medicaid cuts timed to hit in 2027 — after the photo ops, after the next election, when you hope voters won’t trace the damage back to you.

But the truth is clear: Rural hospitals already on life support will see a 21% cut in Medicaid reimbursements, $155 billion drained from rural care and waves of closures that will devastate Kansas families.

This isn’t leadership. It’s cowardice dressed up as statesmanship. You get to look like a hero today while leaving the wreckage for someone else to clean up.

And let’s be clear: The government wouldn’t be shut down right now if you had the courage to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies — as premiums are poised to double — and end the clawback efforts blocking any meaningful deal. Instead, Kansans are left holding the bag — without paychecks, without stability and soon, without hospitals.

You cannot call yourself a doctor fighting for rural Kansas while you cut its legs out from under it. Kansans don’t need ribbon cuttings. They need hospitals that stay open. They don’t need gimmicks. They need your courage

Jean Covillo is a certified registered nurse anesthetist with a doctorate in anesthesia. She is a Kansas constituent of U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.