This alert was contributed by a local medical professional in light of the City of Phoenix’s attack on Mutual Aid in city parks. Find links to Mark’s pay what you can and free clinic schedules at https://saguaros.noblogs.org/phoenix-medical-access-project/
There are estimates that 300,000-550,000 Arizonans have or will lose AHCCCS or Medicaid insurance coverage between 2025 and 2026. These cuts have manifested in the urgent cares I work for with declines in visit rates this 2025-2026 sick season, and an increase in private pay for services. These cuts have resulted in the necessity of urgent cares to start serving as primary care practices. I previously would pull toenails, debride (pop) cysts and abscesses, and suture (sew) people back together. I am now having to initiate and refill blood pressure medications, blood thinners, anti-seizure medications, and depression/anxiety/ptsd medications in a setting where I previously did not. Urgent care is an intermediary to prevent emergency department evaluation and preserve limited emergency medicine resources. The increase in primary and specialty care sought and provided at urgent cares is an insidious signal of current and impending disparity for our community.
What happens to a patient off their blood pressure medication or blood thinners? They have strokes or heart attacks. And even if not, their kidneys are damaged irreparably, eventually necessitating dialysis. This is silly. Primary care is the most affordable form of medicine, yet many people are unable to afford what they previously had state assisted insurance cover. The cost of maintaining a patient on blood pressure medications and/or anticoagulants is truly in the tens-hundreds of dollars per month. An short icu visit due to a stroke or heart attack is at minimum tens-of-thousands of dollars for days, hundreds of thousands for advanced treatments and prolonged stays/rehabilitation. Hospitals were reimbursed by AHCCCS and Medicaid for these services and no longer will be for those who have lost coverage. The individual that suffered that stroke or heart attack is not working for a prolonged period of time. They may be permanently disabled, now costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to care for.
Do you see what is happening here? The small short-term savings that may be enjoyed now will result in massive economic consequences and likely reduction of hospital services due to increasing acute illness.
I have personally known two disabled elderly people that were kicked out of their skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes) due to loss of AHCCCS and Medicaid coverage. One person I met in a QT parking lot, they were wheelchair bound and unable to put back on their shoe that fell off. These people are disabled, they cannot advocate for themselves so the public remains unaware of the severity of disparity healthcare providers are beginning to see. We are in serious trouble.
When groups of people fail to maintain the basic necessities of life for the most vulnerable amongst us, we lose society. While we wait to see our communities sustain preventable injuries/illness there is work to be done. I’m calling on my colleagues in medicine to volunteer. Give an appointment, an hour, a shift, or a day back to your community. The barriers are low, you are protected by the Arizona Volunteer Protection Statute (ARS12-982) which grants immunity when acting in good faith and within the scope of your licensure. Protest the loss of coverage and induction of misery with direct action in your community. Just try.
Mark Coleman is a Family Nurse Practitioner in the states of Arizona and Wyoming providing free primary care services to his community (markprimarycare.com and lightenupclinic.com). He has 15 years of healthcare experience ranging from outpatient services to acute intensive care.
Editor’s Note: The city has been trying to ban food aid, medical care, and needle exchanges since December of 2025. Supporting local experts like Mark is the way we keep our communities healthy and self sufficient in light of a bipartisan assault on our Aid and Healthcare systems.