GOP Congressman in California Swing-District Race Defends Vote for Medicaid Cuts By Jackie Fortiér Oct. 23, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/elections/valadao-villegas-california-22nd-house-district-healthcare-costs-ads-swing/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9VqSNgTB2nDHmPWT84kK6OePa79-f0hyGqm7U4U3OpaxQn1tu326WHAuc8znpiEXOT0St8oDanRh3j_KYRIPPMyYcLAQ&_hsmi=445672729&utm_content=445672729&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: GOP Congressman In California Swing-District Race Defends Vote For Medicaid Cuts Ulises Hernandez has had health coverage through Medicaid for as long as he can remember. But he had never waited as long for care as he did in September after a dental crown slipped down his throat during a procedure. He spent eight hours in an emergency room waiting for care and more than two days without food. Sitting in his wheelchair to protest looming federal Medicaid cuts outside Republican U.S. Rep. David Valadao’s Bakersfield office, Hernandez described his wait as a foreshadowing of what’s ahead. (Fortiér, 10/23)