‘Don’t lose hope,’ says Fresno doctor as federal government starts healthcare cuts

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Fresno doctor has a message for patients worried about federal government cuts to Medicare and Medicaid: “Don’t lose hope.”

Dr. Farah Karipineni has been an endocrine surgeon for the past eight years. She says her first thought after finding out how the Big Beautiful Bill would potentially cut medical care access for 10.9 million people

was horror.

“Since the Affordable Care Act was passed, certain parties have been trying to cut it down. It’s been at risk since its inception. So it’s also not surprising, as horrific as it is,” Karipineni said. “The cuts are staggering.”

Supporters of the bill insist that it does not cut vital programs – but simply roots out what they call waste, fraud and abuse. They have described the changes as rules that would purge people who are taking advantage of the system.

Among those who could lose access are undocumented immigrants. According to the Associated Press, states that offer Medicaid coverage to cover immigrants who may not be here legally will also receive less money from the federal government. Karipineni says she grew up in an agricultural working family and learned about issues plaguing the undocumented community early in her life.

“Growing up on a farm in California, seeing that a lot of the workers that we employed had legal status issues – as a young person, that really impacted me,” Karipineni said. “It opened my eyes to know that not everybody’s family life is like mine.”

As Karipineni began studying medicine, she says she also studied post-colonialism and gained a deep appreciation for immigrant communities, especially those from Latin America, which she intentionally translated into her practice.

“They go hand in hand,” Karipineni said. “A lot of my patients are Medi-Cal and non-English speaking. It’s a personal value of mine and a personal goal to make those patients feel especially welcome.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes would result in 10.9 million fewer people having health care coverage, including 1.4 million immigrants without legal status.

Karipineni says she fears for all of her patients and worries about the lack of empathy exhibited by legislators in support of the bill.

“We all have to look out for ourselves. But I’m much more concerned about vulnerable populations than I already was,” Karipineni said. “It’s really hypocritical to take their labor, their tax dollars and then to go around and say, ‘Well, even though you’re employed, you still can’t have health care.'”

But the bill would not only cut medical coverage for undocumented people. The new Medicaid requirements would apply to nondisabled adults under age 65 who are not caretakers or parents (with some exceptions).

The bill passed by the U.S. House stipulates that those eligible would need to work, take classes, or record community service for 80 hours per month. The Kaiser Family Foundation notes that more than 90% of people enrolled in Medicaid already meet those criteria.

Karipineni says that cutting access to more people will only result in underfunded, crowded hospitals.

“We see it already, where we, where people are, in hallways of the emergency room that are now transformed into actual units,” Karipineni said. “If the E.R. gets flooded because there isn’t enough Medicaid, to get patients to appropriate care at the appropriate time – you’re really not going to care if [someone receiving emergency healthcare before you] was working or not.”

While Karipineni does still feel a sense of dread at the impending threat that cuts to healthcare access poses, she says she’s optimistic and urges others to be as well.

“I think that the best and the worst can exist at the same time,” Karipineni said. “If you can hold those two in your heart at the same time, then you truly can make a difference.”