Justin never thought he'd live past the age of 25. In just nine months, he’ had already received emergency care for his diabetes four times.

A new family medicine physician changed all that. With regular primary care, Justin took medication and changed his diet and exercise habits. Now he no longer needs to inject himself daily with insulin — or fear an amputation. Justin is now approaching age 30, in the best health he has experienced in years.

This might not have happened without his Medicaid coverage.

Now Medicaid and patients like Justin who rely on it are in the crosshairs. That's because Republicans are looking for $880 billion worth of cuts over the next decade to help finance tax cuts for the wealthy. While the Republicans are not yet united behind an approach, they seem set on cuts.

As a doctor and CEO of a hospital and health care group who has worked in health care for more than 30 years, I know from experience that cutting Medicaid won’t make health care more accessible, affordable or efficient for anyone. In fact, it will do the opposite: It will harm urban and rural communities, affluent and poor alike.

Why? Because we are all connected in our health care system. When one part of the system........

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