WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced today that she will host Medicaid beneficiary Cheri Bryer of Lebanon as her guest for President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress on Tuesday. Eleven years ago, Cheri was battling addiction and other mental health challenges. Thankfully, Cheri was eligible for Medicaid, which allowed Cheri to access residential addiction treatment and enter recovery. Because of the care that Cheri got through Medicaid, she was able to return to work and now gets her health insurance coverage through her employer. Today, Cheri works as a senior perinatal peer support educator and coordinator in the Maternal Health Innovations grant on Dartmouth Health’s Population Health team. The budget proposal from President Trump and Congressional Republicans, which guts Medicaid to pay for tax giveaways for corporate special interests and billionaires, threatens the care for 180,000 Granite Staters – care that helped Cheri enter recovery and re-enter the workforce.
“As Cheri’s experience demonstrates, Medicaid helps people get and stay healthy, which in turn strengthens our economy and our workforce. If Congressional Republicans and President Trump pass their budget plan to gut Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for corporate special interests and billionaires, it is people like Cheri and the mothers in recovery that she supports who will pay the price,” said Senator Hassan. “I want to thank Cheri for joining me for this year’s Joint Address to Congress, for speaking out about the difference that Medicaid has made in her life, and for her continued work to help pregnant women and new mothers get the care that they need. And I will continue to stand up to attempts to take health care away from the 180,000 Granite Staters who count on Medicaid.”
“In my work, I have helped hundreds of women gain and sustain recovery. Without access to Medicaid, recovery would have been impossible. As a mom myself who struggled when my children were young, I now support other young mothers. Addiction is a disease and treatment for medical conditions requires medical coverage,” said Cheri Bryer.
The Congressional Republican budget plan, endorsed by President Trump, threatens to make sweeping cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for corporate special interests and billionaires. More than 180,000 Granite Staters get health care through Medicaid, including nearly 90,000 children. In her role as Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, last week Senator Hassan shared a new Joint Economic Committee analysis showing the impact that Medicaid cuts would have on Granite Staters including the fight to combat the opioid epidemic. Senator Hassan has heard directly from Granite Staters about the importance of safeguarding Medicaid. Last Monday, Senators Hassan and Shaheen hosted a roundtable discussion highlighting the harmful impact of potential Republican cuts to Medicaid. Senator Hassan has also spoken out on the Senate floor about the proposed cuts to Medicaid.
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