As a Family Nurse Practitioner and CEO of Mosaic Community Health, a nonprofit community health center with 16 sites across Central Oregon, I am deeply concerned about the potential impacts that proposed cuts to Medicaid would have on our patients and community.

More than half of our 34,000 patients rely on Medicaid (through the Oregon Health Plan) for health coverage. These individuals include low-income families, children, people with disabilities, seniors and pregnant women. They are our neighbors, family and friends.

Without Medicaid, many people will be forced to avoid or delay seeking help for essential healthcare issues. Delayed care results in poorer health and more visits to our already overwhelmed emergency departments, which costs taxpayers more money in the long term. It is more cost-effective to have a healthy and insured population, active in the workforce and contributing to our community.

The U.S. healthcare system is not without its challenges. Aspects of the system are certainly ripe for reform. But there are also bright spots where taxpayer dollars are well spent, resources are effectively allocated, and positive health outcomes are routinely achieved.

Community Health Centers (CHCs) like Mosaic are one of these bright spots and are known to be an efficient and effective way for people to access care in our nation’s healthcare system.

Because of the populations we serve, CHCs rely heavily on the federal Medicaid program. More than simply a funding source, Medicaid is a lifeline for our health centers, providing about 42% of CHC revenue. This funding is not a subsidy or a handout. It is a smart investment in the health of America, with a remarkable rate of return.

CHCs provide comprehensive primary and preventive care for Medicaid patients while achieving Medicaid savings of $1,400 per adult patient per year and $800 a year for children. A recent study showed that, in 2023, CHCs saved Medicaid $38.6 billion by keeping patients healthy and avoiding unnecessary costs and expensive emergency department visits.

Significant cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years, as proposed in the latest federal budget plan, could jeopardize that investment, with devastating consequences for our patients and millions of others across the country. CHC’s like Mosaic and hospitals that serve rural communities are in danger of closure, forcing people to travel large distances for care, impacting our local economy and eliminating critical jobs, leaving even more Central Oregonians without health insurance.

This path takes us farther from — not closer to — our goal of a healthy community.

As lawmakers deliberate changes in Medicaid funding, we urge them to consider the high-quality primary care that millions of children, seniors and hard-working American families rely on at community health centers all across the country. We urge them also to consider that the Medicaid funding CHCs receive to care for patients, keep them healthy and prevent chronic disease is one of the smartest investments we can make, one of the most effective uses of taxpayer dollars and one of the best ways we can ensure a healthy community and a healthy America.

At Mosaic I’ve been honored to work alongside many dedicated individuals to care for our community for more than two decades. I hope that we will continue to be able to do so long into the future. However, that future is currently at risk, and we ask for your support in reaching out to your elected representatives to let them know that Medicaid is a valuable program that we should improve, not cut.

— Megan Haase is the CEO of Mosaic Community Health.