Amy Starnes walks with about 70 others in a New Orleans-style funeral march in downtown Winston-Salem on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, to mourn a projected 520,000 North Carolinians becoming uninsured due to the passing of One Big Beautiful Bill.
John Hinton
More than 70 people demonstrated Saturday through downtown Winston-Salem, protesting the pending loss of health insurance for North Carolinians.
The demonstrators walked in a New Orleans-style funeral procession with four musicians playing jazz music. The demonstrators walked about a mile.
Four protesters carried a coffin, and another protester carried a plastic skeleton in a beach cart.
Other demonstrators displayed sign such as "520,000 North Carolinians will lose health insurance," and "ACA premiums going up 102%."
When the protesters reached Winston Square Park on Marshall Street, Fred Lewis of Winston-Salem, a retired attorney, spoke to them. Lewis wore the costume of the Grim Reaper.
"ACA (Affordable Care Act) premiums will go away at the end of 2025," Lewis said. "Congress is letting them expire."
"That's what we are going to get from the Affordable Care Act," Lewis said.
The demonstrators booed.
"In early 2027, there will be Medicaid cuts," Lewis said. "It's death by a lot of procedural cuts."
Lewis ended his speech by saying, "I want to welcome you to the Grim Reaper coverage of health care in North Carolina."
The Republican-controlled Congress recently approved President Trump's tax and spending law that will cut more than $1 trillion over a decade from federal health care and food assistance, the Associated Press reported.
The cuts of Medicaid will result in premature deaths and increased sickness among people, organizers said in a statement. Rural and small hospitals will likely close due to patients not being able to pay their medical bills.
On Saturday, Aug. 23, the Accountability Coalition of the Triad will stage a similar protest in Greensboro for people's constitutional rights and to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
In downtown Winston-Salem, some protesters danced as they walked on the sidewalks of Cherry, Fifth, Marshall and Trade streets.
Deborah Davis of Winston-Salem said she participated in the protest because she is a senior citizen.
"A lot of people I know about being hurt a lot by the cuts in Medicaid and Medicare," Davis said. "A lot of people will not be able to afford insurance."
George Cochran of Clemmons marched in the demonstration because he doesn't like the country's direction.
"The direction this country is going is really, really dangerous," Cochran said. "We need more people to come out and speak up."
Tenicka Forbes of High Point participated in Saturday's protest because she said that health care is a worthy cause.
"It's sad news that people will be without health insurance," Forbes said. "They need help."
See photos of Winston-Salem protesters holding New Oleans-style funeral march to protest cuts in federal funding
jhinton@wsjournal.com
336-727-7299
@jhintonWSJ
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