Rows of tombstones marked the real-world toll of Valadao’s vote as advocates called for accountability
BAKERSFIELD, CA – Nearly 100 Kern County residents, health care workers, and advocates gathered outside Kern Medical on Thursday, lying down among rows of tombstones to demand Rep. David Valadao (CA-22) answer for his deciding vote to advance H.R. 1 — the law that guts Medi-Cal and other safety-net programs to help pay for billions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthy.
Attendees included members of the Fight for Our Health coalition — a statewide coalition led by SEIU California, Health Access California, and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network — alongside the California Alliance for Retired Americans, Poder Latinx, Vision y Compromiso, the California Labor Federation, AFSCME, the California Nurses Association, disability rights advocates, local health care workers, and seniors and their families.
Valadao publicly pledged three separate times that he would not vote for Medicaid cuts. He broke that promise on July 2, 2026, casting the decisive vote that made H.R. 1 law and put thousands of his own constituents’ health care coverage at risk.
Kern County is already living with the fallout: the Grossman Burn Center at Bakersfield Memorial has closed, Dignity Health and Adventist Health have cut dozens of jobs, and independent analysts have flagged three rural Kern hospitals — Delano Regional, Kern Valley Healthcare District, and Adventist Health Tehachapi — as at high risk of layoffs, service cuts, or closure.
And the worst of the cuts haven’t hit yet: new eligibility requirements take effect January 1, 2027, threatening to push thousands more Kern County residents off their health care. The loss of billions of dollars in federal funding could also lead to further state cuts to health benefits, dental coverage, and in-home supportive services.
WHAT ADVOCATES ARE SAYING:
“David Valadao promised Kern County repeatedly that he wouldn’t cut their health care — then he cast the deciding vote to do exactly that,” said Rachel Linn Gish, Chief Communications Officer at Health Access. “Because of that vote, families across CA-22 are losing the coverage they depend on to see a doctor, fill a prescription, or get their kids care. Valadao broke his word, and real people are paying for it with their lives.”
“As nurses, we see the consequences when people lose health coverage or cannot get the care they need,” said Sandy Reding, RN, Vice President of National Nurses United and President of the California Nurses Association. “Our patients wait longer, they get sicker, and they end up at our bedside in crisis. David Valadao promised our community that he would not support a final bill that threatened Medi-Cal coverage, but he betrayed us. These major changes to Medi-Cal funding will leave millions more people uninsured. Here in Bakersfield, we have already seen the Grossman Burn Center at Bakersfield Memorial close this year, with patients who need specialized burn care now being forced to travel to facilities 90 miles or more away. Nurses will keep doing what we have always done: caring and advocating for our patients, and making sure our communities understand how decisions made in Washington affect our patients at the bedside.”
“I’m speaking up to raise awareness for seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and families like mine who rely on Medicaid/Medi-Cal, Medicare, and Social Security,” said Ulysses Hernandez, a volunteer with California Alliance for Retired Americans. “Changes taking effect January 1 could affect our eligibility and access to these essential programs. For me, affordable health care means independence, dignity, and quality of life. My coverage helps me use a motorized wheelchair and access the medical and dental care I need to stay safe and healthy. I’m speaking out because I want to protect these programs, not just for myself, but for everyone in my community who depends on them.”
“Massive federal cuts are slashing $100 billion from California’s healthcare funding over the next 5 years, jeopardizing our remaining emergency rooms, clinics, nursing homes, and home care services,” said Priscilla Arias, Frontline Environmental Services Technician at Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, and SEIU-UHW leader. “Millions on Medi-Cal risk losing coverage entirely. We can stop the healthcare collapse before it happens, keeping our hospitals open for everyone, and saving lives. It’s as simple as voting for healthcare funding and standing up to billionaires.”
“My experience as an ER nurse has shaped how I see public policy,” said Ana Palacio, SEIU 521 Regional Vice President and Kern Medical ER Nurse. “Every day, we see what happens when people can’t access preventive care, mental health services, or stable housing. By the time they reach the ER, their conditions are often more serious, more costly, and harder to treat. That is why the impacts of H.R. 1 are so concerning. This policy reduces access to Medicaid and places new barriers between people and the care they need. It does not make illness disappear.”
“As a disabled veteran, public health care is a lifeline for my family,” said Sam Hardman, an Army veteran and resident of Kern County. “The VA has treated me for cancer for more than 16 years, and I continue to receive treatments every six months. My wife relies on Medicaid and CHAMPVA. For families like ours, access to health care isn’t optional—it can be a matter of life or death. Tehachapi cannot afford to lose access to more local health care. Cuts that threaten rural hospitals like Adventist Health Tehachapi could force families to travel farther or wait longer for the care they need.”
WHAT’S AT STAKE UNDER TRUMP HEALTH CARE CUTS
Loss of Coverage: Over 3 million Californians are expected to lose Medi-Cal coverage and get sicker under the weight of new bureaucratic red tape to prove they are working (even though the majority of Medi-Cal enrollees are employed) or to prove eligibility more frequently. These new hurdles are designed to force people off care who are in fact eligible.
An Impossible Choice: Another 2 million Covered California enrollees will be forced to choose between soaring health care premiums or losing their coverage. That’s because the GOP congressional leaders turned their back on working people and struggling small business owners, letting affordability measures expire.
Contact: Mike Roth; [email protected]
The post Kern County Residents Stage Die-In at Kern Medical, Demand Rep. David Valadao Answer for H.R. 1 Health Care Cuts appeared first on Health Access.
