{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-meets-with-emergency-doctors-anticipating-deluge-of-patients-from-republicans-shutdown-and-attacks-on-primary-care-access", "Amo Meets with Emergency Doctors Anticipating Deluge of Patients from Republicans\u2019 Shutdown and Attacks on Primary Care Access", "2025-10-22", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Gabe Amo", "A000380", "amo.house.gov", "amo", "https://amo.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Providence, RI \u2013 TODAY, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI-01) toured the pediatric and adult emergency departments at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children\u2019s Hospital in Providence. Congressman Amo spoke with emergency department providers amid the health care crisis caused by Trump and Congressional Republicans. Their Big, Ugly Law cut over $1 trillion from America\u2019s health care system, and Republicans shut down the government rather than extend the health care tax credits that help 41,000 Rhode Islanders afford their health insurance through the state\u2019s Affordable Care Act exchange, HealthSource RI. The expected spike in uninsured Rhode Islanders, compounded by Republicans\u2019 broader attacks on state health care systems, is likely to drive patients to receive basic care from emergency rooms, overwhelming already strained systems.\n\n\u201cEmergency rooms are a vital part of our health care system. They should be focused on treating emergencies, not primary care,\u201d said Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI-01). \u201cRepublicans\u2019 assault on our health care system is expected to force desperate parents with a feverish child or a senior needing a prescription to head to the emergency room or to forgo care altogether. Doctors are bracing for Republicans\u2019 callousness to overwhelm hospitals and force Rhode Islanders to make impossible decisions about which of their basic needs to meet. Trump and Congressional Republicans must reopen the government, stop the health crisis, and lower costs.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are grateful to Congressman Amo, and the Rhode Island delegation, for their continued support for our hospitals, physicians, nurses and others who care for our families and communities across the state, \u201d said Sarah Frost, President of Rhode Island Hospital and Chief of Brown University Health Hospital Operations. \u201cLow Medicaid reimbursements already impact our ability to recruit, retain, and fairly compensate our health care teams, while we also manage rising costs for technology, supplies and infrastructure which further strain hospital budgets. Our state\u2019s health care crisis will worsen if Medicaid and other critical healthcare supports are further cut.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nCongressman Amo has voted to protect Rhode Islanders\u2019 health care since being sworn in to Congress in 2023. He voted against Republicans\u2019 Big, Ugly Law, which stripped more than $1.5 trillion from America's health care system in July after speaking against the bill at 3 am, not once but twice.\n\nSince the Republicans shut down the government rather than help Americans afford their health insurance, Amo has met with impacted Rhode Islanders across the First Congressional District. He visited Brown\u2019s Legorreta Cancer Center, where clinicians have been forced to stop enrolling patients in clinical trials because of the Republican shutdown. Behavioral health leaders at Butler Hospital shared how Medicaid cuts would limit many vulnerable Rhode Islanders\u2019 ability to access mental and behavioral health care. Dozens of Rhode Islanders have also shared personal stories about how skyrocketing health care costs will impact them.\n\nHowever, Republicans remain intent on stealing from Rhode Islanders\u2019 pockets. Rhode Islanders are currently receiving notices with their new health insurance costs for next year. Due to Republican inaction, some Rhode Islanders can expect to see a 200% increase in monthly premium costs, adding further strain to family budgets already taking a hit from Trump and Republicans\u2019 cost of living crisis.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://amo.house.gov/press-release/amo-meets-with-emergency-doctors-anticipating-deluge-of-patients-from-republicans-shutdown-and-attacks-on-primary-care-access"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9071119129657745, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}