Rallying for Health Care Protection: Insights and Impact from the “Hands Off Medicaid” Day of Action

On February 6, 2025, Families USA, Community Catalyst, the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), led hundreds of health care advocates from national and state partners in a powerful coordinated, collective action to defend Medicaid. This coordinated campaign, under the banner “Hands Off Medicaid,” was organized to combat proposals from Republican lawmakers to cut or cap Medicaid to fund tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.

The event demonstrated a unified front, highlighting the importance of Medicaid in safeguarding the health and well-being of millions of Americans, while warning against a rushed Congressional strategy that will result in people losing their health care.

Centering What Matters

Participants engaged with local media outlets, posted on social platforms, and reached out to their elected officials to raise awareness and emphasize the importance of Medicaid for millions of Americans across the country. Cutting Medicaid would severely impact the 80 million people who rely on it for their health care, including seniors, children, working families, low-income individuals, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is crucial for stabilizing the economy, keeping rural hospitals open, and reducing the financial burden on states and the health care system. With more than 71% of voters supporting Medicaid, this campaign underscored the necessity of protecting it from funding cuts that would betray the trust of Americans who count on their representatives to lower costs, including the cost of health care.

Measuring the Impact

The Medicaid Day of Action saw an incredible turnout with thousands of participants from across the country engaging in various activities. Here’s what you need to know:

• Legislative Impact: Thousands of letters and calls were made to elected officials, urging them to protect Medicaid. Since the day of action, more than 650 emails were sent to representatives from the Families USA platform alone, and the call Congress hotline provided by SEIU had more than 10,00 calls!
• Media Engagement: National and local media outlets, amplifying the message. In addition, we also got traction via shares of our resources and publications across other social platforms like blogs.
• Social Media Reach: The campaign’s hashtag #HandsOffMedicaid trended on multiple social platforms, reaching millions.

Hitting the Resource Hub

Sharing resources not only helps get the word out, but it can have a real on the ground impact for people to stay informed. Our recent Families USA publication on the importance of Medicaid and the populations it serves got more than 450 downloads in three short weeks!

• TEMPLATE News Release
• TEMPLATE Letter to the Editor
• Storytelling Is Key!
  • Personal stories show the real impact of Medicaid cuts.
• Data and Facts
  • Strengthen the case of who Medicaid cuts will impact.
• Connect the Dots
  • Organizations can use their voice and their mission to highlight the connection to housing, food security, and more!

Continue to share these resources far and wide! Together, we can protect Medicaid. #HandsOffMedicaid