At The Balm In Gilead, our mission has always been to strengthen the capacity of faith communities to address the social, spiritual, and health needs of Black Americans and the African Diaspora. That mission has never been more urgent than it is right now.
Across this country, two foundational pillars of community wellbeing are being dismantled at the same time: access to healthcare through Medicaid, and the protected right to vote under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These are not separate policy debates happening in distant places. They are happening now, and their consequences are landing directly in the communities we serve.
The Healthcare Crisis
The federal reconciliation law passed in 2025 includes the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history. In Virginia alone, an estimated 260,000 people are at risk of losing coverage. Nationally, projections show nearly 12 million people losing health insurance over the next decade.
Beginning in late 2026, most Medicaid recipients will be required to document 80 hours of monthly work activity just to maintain eligibility.
Mental health parity protections have also been rolled back, meaning insurers are no longer required to cover behavioral health at the same level as physical health. For Black and Brown communities already navigating significant gaps in mental health access and chronic disease burden, these cuts are not statistics. They are a crisis. (Read our Policy & Advocacy Snapshot to learn more)
The Voting Rights Crisis
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was one of the most consequential pieces of civil rights legislation ever passed. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down its most powerful enforcement provision, and within hours, states began closing polling places, purging voter rolls, and enacting restrictive voting laws. Download our infographic to see how this impacts EVERY VOTER.
More than 1,000 polling places have closed since that ruling in states that once required federal approval before changing their voting rules.
Now, the SAVE America Act, which passed the U.S. House in February 2026, would require a passport or birth certificate just to register to vote. Over 21 million Americans do not have ready access to those documents, and the burden falls disproportionately on elderly Black Americans, low-income families, rural residents, and women who have changed their names.
The communities losing access to healthcare are the same communities being systematically pushed away from the ballot box. When people cannot vote, they cannot elect leaders who will protect their health. When people are sick, uninsured, and fighting to survive, civic participation becomes a luxury they cannot afford. This is not coincidence. This is a pattern, and our communities deserve to name it clearly.
What Faith Communities Can Do Right Now
The Balm In Gilead calls on our network of faith leaders, health advocates, and community partners to take action:
- Host voter registration drives in your congregation this month and verify that every member’s registration is current at gov
- Help community members locate and secure their identity documents, including birth certificates and photo ID, before new restrictions take effect
- Share accurate information about Medicaid eligibility changes with the families you serve, and connect those at risk to enrollment assistance
- Contact your U.S. Senators and demand they oppose the SAVE America Act and support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Show up in November and bring your community with you
The work of healing our communities has always required us to tend to body, spirit, and civic life together. This moment is no different. We have the networks, the trust, and the calling to meet it.