Watching someone you love struggle with their mental health is one of the most helpless feelings in the world. You want to help. You want to remind them how much they matter. You want to offer hope, happiness, and a sense of stability. But often, you can’t. Often, the only person who can break through the darkness is a professional. That’s why access to mental health care is not just important, it is lifesaving. President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” includes proposed cuts to Medicaid that will leave countless individuals without the support they need at the exact moment they need it most. Medicaid is a joint federal and state health insurance program for disabled and low-income Americans. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services works with state programs to administer Medicaid, under which more than 71.2 million people are enrolled. At Springboard Community Services , where we provide comprehensive outpatient mental health services in rural, suburban and urban communities across central Maryland, we see the power of Medicaid every day. It helps us to provide accessible, compassionate and high-quality mental health care to individuals and families across Maryland. With inclusive, trauma-informed services, we ensure that everyone, regardless of background or financial situation, has access to the support they need to heal, rebuild and thrive . In fiscal year 2024 alone, Springboard provided 11,200 counseling sessions, 313 crisis intervention contacts and s upport for 1,460 victims of crime. These are the stories behind the statistics. They are stories of recovery, resilience and lives rebuilt, and ones we’re especially mindful of each May during Mental Health Awareness Month. The proposed federal bill , which imposes work or school requirements on able-bodied Medicaid recipients, won’t just threaten programs; it threatens people. Those battling depression, trauma, anxiety or substance use will have to jump over new hurdles to prove exemptions. People who, without affordable access to mental health care, may fall deeper into crisis. As of May 2022, more than 30% of Maryland adults experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression reported needing counseling but not receiving it, which is even higher than the national average of 28.2%. From 2014 to 2022, suicide rates among Maryland youth and young adults rose by more than a third, making suicide the third leading cause of death for those ages 10 to 24, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention . Behind these alarming numbers are our friends, neighbors, siblings, parents and children whose lives could be transformed by accessible, affordable mental health services. For 1.5 million Marylanders , nearly a quarter of the state’s population, Medicaid makes those services available. Medicaid does more than pay for care. It helps recruit and retain providers, especially in underserved areas, by offering reimbursement for services that private insurance may not cover. It’s one of the few programs that funds wraparound services like case management and transportation, which are often critical to a person’s ability to stay in treatment. If Medicaid is cut or restricted, the effects will extend far beyond mental health providers. The people who depend on it, including children, rural residents and those with low or no income, will face even greater barriers. Many would lose not just access to care but also the stability that supports their jobs, families and futures. Without Medicaid, more individuals will end up in emergency rooms, hospitals or institutions. These settings are far more expensive and far less effective than early, community-based care. We cannot afford to lose Medicaid. The services it makes possible help prevent crises, reduce hospitalizations and keep families together. Investing in care means investing in stronger schools, safer workplaces and healthier communities. This is not just a policy issue. It is about ensuring that when someone you love is struggling, there is still a path forward and someone to walk it with them. It’s about building a system that doesn’t let people fall through the cracks. A system that says, no matter who you are or what you’re facing, help is available, and your life matters. Protecting Medicaid and expanding access to mental health care is the right thing to do because lives depend on it.
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