In Arizona, Medicaid — known as AHCCCS — is not just a budget line item. It’s a lifeline for 2 million people, including one in three children. 

This program is crucial not just for those it directly covers, but for every person in our state. Yet today, this critical program is under threat. Congressional proposals to reduce Medicaid funding would significantly impact Arizona’s health care landscape, undermine access to essential primary and behavioral health services for highly vulnerable populations and destabilize our state’s health care economy. 

Looking at the numbers makes the urgency of this situation even clearer. Last year alone, AHCCCS provided health care to roughly 64,000 Arizonans battling cancer, 450,000 with heart disease, 700,000 dealing with respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, 68,000 individuals affected by opioid-use disorders and 660,000 experiencing mental, behavioral health and developmental disorders. Behind these numbers are real people — patients who rely on providers like Denova Collaborative Health every day.

At Denova, Arizona’s largest outpatient behavioral health provider, we witness daily the integral role AHCCCS plays. Medicaid funding ensures our providers can provide timely care, preventive services and treatment for chronic conditions. 

Reductions in funding would not just mean fewer doctor visits — it would mean more costly emergency room visits, increased insurance premiums and the tragic reality of untreated chronic illnesses and mental health conditions. Additionally, untreated health conditions do not simply vanish; they escalate, driving up emergency care costs and hospitalizations that could have been avoided with preventive care.

Cuts to Medicaid funding would do more than just limit coverage; these cuts would ripple across Arizona’s entire health care system. A loss in revenue could force providers to reduce services, close clinics, or even hospitals, creating a health care crisis for everyone, not just Medicaid recipients. Rural hospitals, already stretched thin, would face an especially stark reality: service cutbacks or even closure, leaving some communities without essential health care services. 

Additionally, Arizona ranks alarmingly high for mental health challenges, and Medicaid is the backbone of our response. At Denova, we prioritize quick access to mental health services — offering same-day or next-day appointments — to ensure immediate care when patients need it most. AHCCCS funding supports this critical infrastructure, ensuring adolescents facing anxiety or depression, new mothers experiencing postpartum mental health challenges, and individuals struggling with substance use can receive timely intervention and consistent, quality care.

Beyond health care, AHCCCS is a significant economic driver. Arizona’s health care sector directly employs over 400,000 workers statewide. A cut to Medicaid funding would lead to job losses and reduced economic stability, impacting Arizona’s overall economic competitiveness. Proposed Medicaid cuts would likely force the state to eliminate Medicaid expansion and could lead to the loss of an estimated 300,000 jobs across multiple industries and a $30.9 billion reduction in Arizona’s economic activity.

At Denova, we believe health care should be a right, not a privilege. Our experience treating patients has shown us that AHCCCS is indispensable to fulfilling this promise. The current debate in Congress over cutting funding is not just a policy disagreement — it is a pivotal decision about our state’s future health, well-being and economic strength. Equally important, we believe, fully funding Medicaid is simply the right thing to do for Arizona’s most vulnerable.

We urge Arizona’s Congressional delegation to unequivocally support Medicaid funding, protect health care access, and safeguard our local decision-making authority. Let’s ensure every Arizonan continues to receive the quality health care they deserve, maintaining a healthier Arizona for generations to come.

Graham B. Johnson, MAcc, CPA, is the CEO of Denova Collaborative Health, Arizona’s largest provider of outpatient behavioral health services, offering same day, next day appointments for psychiatry, therapy and primary care.