New grassroots coalition opposes federal budget cuts that put 147,000 South Dakotans who rely on Medicaid at risk
A new grassroots coalition of health-care professionals, patient advocates, rural leaders, and small business owners from across the state is launching Hands Off Medicaid — South Dakota to oppose proposed federal cuts to Medicaid and ACA subsidies.
The coalition officially launched during a virtual press event on Thursday, May 29, where speakers shared how these cuts threaten access to care for more than 147,000 South Dakotans, including pregnant mothers, seniors, children, people with disabilities, farmers and working families.
“This bill represents a complete retreat from decades of bipartisan progress in expanding access to health care,” said Earl Pomeroy, a former North Dakota congressman and insurance commissioner. “It will drive up the number of uninsured South Dakotans and leave rural hospitals drowning in tens of millions of dollars in uncompensated care.”
“Every one of the 147,000 South Dakotans who rely on Medicaid — including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and workers — will be impacted by these cuts,” said Ben Hanson, head of government affairs for the American Cancer Society – South Dakota. “Medicaid gives people access to lifesaving medications and treatments like insulin, asthma inhalers, prenatal care, and cancer screenings. For almost 27,000 South Dakotans, this bill means losing coverage entirely.”
“The proposed cuts will be especially harmful to rural South Dakota,” said Shelley Ten Napel, CEO of the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD). “When coverage rates fall, rural health centers lose critical funding — putting access to primary care, maternal care, dental services, and behavioral health at risk for everyone in those communities.”
“This isn’t just a policy debate — it’s a direct threat to patients and the providers who care for them,” said Dr. Tom Dean, a longtime rural physician and public health advocate. “Medicaid helps working families, pregnant mothers, and our rural nursing homes. Kicking people off coverage just pushes costs higher and delays care until it’s too late.”
The coalition formed after the U.S. House passed a budget with Draconian cuts that would rip coverage from tens of thousands, gut rural hospital funding, and threaten mental health and addiction services across South Dakota — just two years after voters approved Medicaid expansion by 57%.
Medicaid cuts don’t just threaten coverage — they directly endanger access to prenatal care, postpartum support, and maternal health services in communities that already face shortages.
Now, the coalition is urging South Dakotans to contact Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune and urge them to protect Medicaid, rural health services and maternal care for South Dakota families.
In the weeks and months ahead, the coalition will continue expanding — with new members and partner organizations joining from across South Dakota’s communities and constituencies. As the U.S. Senate decides the fate of our rural health care system.
For a better picture of the ways Medicaid and Marketplace coverage matter in the lives of individuals and families, check out CHAD’s Medicaid Matters to Me campaign. Hearing directly from people whose lives have been changed and literally saved by health coverage helps us all understand what is at stake.
Hands Off Medicaid — South Dakota is grassroots coalition of health-care professionals, patient advocates, rural leaders, and small business owners from across the state
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