Dear Younger (than me) Generation
No Kings Day June 14
A disproportionate number of people my age, the 50 and 60 crowd, are protesting and looking around for the younger generation. Where are they? Don’t they realize we are fighting for their future? Face it, we aren’t going to be around as long as you are. You have to live with the mess if you don’t fight to maintain or improve what you have today.
In this administration, Trump's second term, there are plenty of reasons to protest, from women’s rights, the erosion of LGBTQ rights, the rights of people of color, veterans' benefits, immigration law, and healthcare. I am going to focus on healthcare for a couple of minutes, and why you should join in raising your voice today, before you pay for it tomorrow.
Next weekend is “No King’s Day”; mark your calendar to join a protest near you or start your own. Being silent is no longer an option. I go into this deeper at the end of this article.
I have heard, time and time again, including from President Trump, that the GOP said that there will not be cuts to Medicaid. They add that they are only rooting out “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but reporters fail to ask what that exactly means. I can tell you with certainty that this means they will change eligibility requirements for recipients, suppliers, medications, and services. The devil is in the lack of details and how they will affect everyday taxpayers like you. This bill will increase the deficit immediately and continue to rise due to its neglect of future services. Even Elon Musk is against what is in this bill, calling it “massive, outrageous, pork-filled”. Then why does the GOP back this bill? Because Trump wants it. Fealty to the King.
If you think healthcare cuts are someone else’s problem, think again. Here’s why you, as part of the younger generation, should show up in 2025 protests against proposed slashes to Medicare, Medicaid, and other vital programs, aka “the big, beautiful bill” HR 1.
Your future coverage is at stake. You might be young and healthy, but healthcare costs—hospital bills, unexpected emergencies, mental health needs—hit everyone eventually. When public programs shrink, insurance premiums rise, co-pays become steeper, and safety nets, such as free screenings, immunization shots, or sliding-scale clinics, disappear. If you lose your part-time job or travel out of network, there’s no guarantee you won’t face catastrophic medical bills. Protesting today isn’t just about protecting your family; it’s about locking in a baseline of coverage for yourself when life (and accidents) inevitably happens.
Your parents and grandparents depend on you. When Medicare and Medicaid get cut, costs get shifted to individuals. That might not seem like your fight right now, but it becomes your fight the moment you’re the one helping Mom cover her medications or Dad’s doctor visits. If your elderly parent can’t get basic care—say, dialysis or cancer screenings—you become their advocate, caregiver, and financial buffer. Watching someone you love go without necessary treatment isn’t just heartbreaking; it means lost wages for you (if you miss work to drive them to clinics) and mounting medical debt that can trap an entire family. If the big, beautiful bill passes, you might as well cancel the big, beautiful vacation you are planning.
Hospital closures endanger every community, especially yours. Cuts to public funding mean hospitals (primarily rural or inner-city ones already running on thin margins) start shutting down wings or closing outright. If your town loses its emergency department, a serious car accident or a sudden appendicitis doesn’t just become scarier—it becomes a potentially fatal delay. Even in larger cities, fewer beds and longer wait times for trauma, mental health crises, or overdose interventions can mean witnessing friends or siblings stuck in waiting rooms while critical minutes tick away. By standing up now, you’re pushing back against a future where an ambulance ride costs lives.
Women’s health and reproductive care hang in the balance. Cuts to Medicaid often translate into fewer clinics offering prenatal care, fewer providers willing to deliver babies for low-income moms, and shuttered Planned Parenthood–style programs that provide birth control, STD testing, and cancer screenings. Even if you’re not thinking about pregnancy now, these resources matter; they keep you safe from cervical cancer (via Pap tests), HPV (via vaccinations), and life-threatening complications. If clinics close, you’re forced to travel farther, wait longer, and stomach unwanted costs—often while juggling school or a first job. Pushing back means ensuring you and your friends can still walk into a clinic without fear that the door will be locked.
Healthcare is a human right—and it’s up to your generation to defend it. Grassroots protest is where change happens. By packing the streets and amplifying voices online, you make it politically untenable for elected officials to gut programs that millions rely on. You demonstrate that young people care not only about student debt and climate change, but also about ensuring that no one is denied lifesaving treatment due to their income. If you sit this out, you’re effectively consenting to a future where medical bankruptcies become normalized, chronic illnesses become lifelong curses, and corners are cut until the system collapses entirely, leaving your community weaker and you are more vulnerable.
When care is denied to anyone—citizen, visitor, or noncitizen—the fallout ripples through everyone’s safety net. Imagine a tourist collapsing in the street after a heat stroke during a summer road trip, only to be turned away because “they’re not covered.” Or a day laborer, here only a season, who’s too afraid to seek treatment for a broken leg because they’re noncitizens. Denial of emergency or basic care doesn’t just ruin that individual’s life; it endangers public health (untreated infections, contagious diseases) and clogs emergency rooms when conditions finally become critical. Clinics pressured by budget cuts may triage out anyone without precise paperwork, creating pockets of unserved populations where preventable illnesses run rampant. That means outbreaks of disease, higher long-term costs for uncompensated emergency visits, and a broader erosion of community wellbeing—your town, your campus, your social circles all become less safe when even one person can’t get help.
When nursing homes or caregivers become unaffordable, you shoulder the full weight. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid mean that long-term care costs will skyrocket, forcing families to choose between depleting life savings for a private facility or bringing Mom or Dad into your apartment or dorm room. Suddenly, you’re juggling work or classes alongside feeding, bathing, and transporting a parent to doctor’s appointments because you can’t afford professional care. That arrangement can strain your finances (one more mouth to feed, utilities climbing) and your home life (little privacy, constant caregiving). If you’re thinking of buying your first house, factor in a dedicated bedroom for Mom, Dad, Uncle—ideally on the ground floor or with a main-floor bathroom—so they aren’t climbing stairs or struggling to share cramped space.
In short, protesting cuts in 2025 is about protecting you and your loved ones’ medical security, preserving emergency services in your hometown, safeguarding women’s health resources, and securing your future. It’s about refusing to let policymakers give breaks and preference to the ultra-rich on the backs of the sick, disabled, and elderly.
No Kings Day protests will be held across the United States on Saturday, June 14th.
Finding, joining, or launching a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14th, 2025, is easier than you think. Start by checking social media—search hashtags like #NoKingsDay2025, #NoKings or follow advocacy groups that have championed healthcare and democracy issues; they often post local event listings or “action kits” with printable signs and chants. If there’s already a rally planned in your city, RSVP to the organizer’s page, share it with friends, and be there early to meet fellow protesters and coordinate logistics—bring water, snacks, and a portable charger to stay connected.
Suppose you don’t see an event in your area. Create one yourself: pick a visible location (a town square, hospital front lawn, or state capitol steps), set a start time on June 14th (midday usually draws the biggest crowds), and post a simple flyer (online and elsewhere).
Reach out to local community centers, student groups, religious congregations, or union chapters to co-sponsor and spread the word. Provide clear messaging—signs that read “Health Is a Human Right” or “No Cuts, No Kings”—and prepare a few short talking points to welcome newcomers. Even if only a handful show up, your commitment will galvanize neighbors and catch media attention, inspiring other towns to join in. By taking these steps now, you ensure that when June 14th arrives, you’re not only raising a powerful voice for healthcare justice and rights issues but also building a network of allies ready to demand a government that serves everyone, citizen, immigrant, or visitor alike.
The point is, do something! Show up, make some noise, and demand that our society values health and individual rights over bottom lines—because if not you, then who?
Citizen Ben is on Substack and CitizenBen.net, Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Substack.