CNBNews

Philadelphia, PA – On Tuesday, May 27, home care consumers, workers, and healthcare advocates will gather to protest the recent House passage of the largest Medicaid cuts in history, and demand Pennsylvania’s Senators vote to block the $625 billion Medicaid cuts from going into effect. Medicaid is a critical lifeline for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities, and the estimated loss of $3.4 billion each year in Medicaid funding to Pennsylvania would have devastating impacts on the 65,304 Philadelphia County residents who currently rely on -home care. 

Home care is an essential form of care that allows people with disabilities and seniors to receive care and age with dignity, in their own homes and their own communities, creating significantly improved social and health outcomes while also lowering public health costs by decreasing utilization of more expensive nursing home, assisted living, or hospital services. Despite this, home care is already desperately underfunded, which has led to a severe workforce crisis. For every 8 Pennsylvanians currently seeking home care services, only one home care provider is available. This is largely due to underfunding, which causes low pay and few worker benefits - more than half of home care attendants in Pennsylvania make less than $15 an hour, and many do not receive healthcare, paid time off, or other benefits. As it is, Pennsylvania must invest more in home care to ensure qualified, compassionate caregivers are able to stay in the work long-term. This workforce crisis and access to home care services could become nearly impossible if the proposed Medicaid cuts are not stopped. 

Caregivers and advocates are turning their attention to the U.S. Senate, and demanding Senator McCormick and Senator Fetterman stand up for their constituents and vote to block the devastating cuts. 

“Gutting Medicaid services and home care for seniors and people with disabilities who count on it just to give more tax handouts to billionaires and the ultra-rich is un-American and a betrayal of all of us,” said Monica McDuffie, a 6 year home care worker from Philadelphia. “These cuts will turn life upside down for the people who receive home care, and deserve to live with dignity and independence at home and in our communities. The members of Congress who voted to take Medicaid from us have turned their backs on the people they were elected to defend, and I am disgusted by their cruelty. My coworkers and I are mobilizing with tens of thousands of our fellow union members statewide, holding demonstrations and calling Senators Fetterman and McCormick to demand they vote to block Medicaid cuts and choose the constituents they’re supposed to serve over billionaires and mega-corporations.” 

In addition to upending home care services in the state, the Medicaid cuts would reach far beyond. Medicaid also supports hospitals; schools that provide special education and other mental health services to kids; and is the largest funding source for mental health services, including treatment for substance use disorder. In Pennsylvania, Medicaid covers 1 in 2 children, 1 in 3 births, nearly 1 in 4 adults, and 1 in 10 veterans. Pennsylvania would be the 4th hardest-hit state for job losses if the cuts aren’t stopped, with 61,000 jobs lost statewide. The cuts could rip healthcare coverage from over one million Pennsylvanians and cause widespread closures of already-struggling home care services, nursing homes, hospitals and other vital programs, causing higher health insurance costs, increased taxes, less access to medical services, reductions in other essential programs and widespread job losses. 

In particular, advocates are demanding Sen. McCormick and Sen. Fetterman strongly oppose provisions that would implement burdensome work verification requirements. The vast majority of adult Medicaid recipients under the age of 65 already work, and the rest are students, family caregivers, or cannot work due to illness. Other states that have tried to implement work requirements have ended up wasting tens of millions of dollars on bureaucratic red tape and mistakenly kicking people off their healthcare coverage. 

Advocates are also urging the Senators to oppose the banning of future provider taxes on healthcare providers, which would undermine the funding that long-term care facilities and hospitals need to survive. Provider taxes are designed to increase the state's contribution to Medicaid, which then triggers higher federal matching funding, thereby enabling Pennsylvania to keep up with the cost of caring for its rapidly aging population.      

Nationally, 80 million Americans, or 20% of the population, is covered by Medicaid. In Pennsylvania, of the three million residents who rely on Medicaid, 42% are children and 33% are seniors, pregnant or people with disabilities. 

Federal Medicaid funding is vital for Pennsylvania’s economy. The program keeps low-wage workers employed by treating illnesses or injuries that could prevent them from working, creates jobs, boosts small businesses, and generates economic growth. 

Medicaid is critical for the residents of Congressional District 2, where Tuesday’s action is happening. PA-2 has the highest rate of people on Medicaid in Pennsylvania, with 33.3% of residents under the age of 65 on it. There are 348,276 people in PA-2 on Medicaid, including 139,319 children and 56,162 seniors. Approximately 78% of children in PA-2 rely on Medicaid or CHIP for coverage, which is nearly double the average across the state. 

Contrary to misleading information coming from some politicians, Medicaid is extremely cost effective, efficient and fiscally responsible. While private insurers spend up to 18% of revenue on administrative overhead, including massive compensation for insurance executives, Medicaid spends just 4%. 

For all these reasons, the strong majority of American voters across party lines support Medicaid. The program is broadly popular, with 82% of all Americans – and 67% of Republicans – saying they want to either increase Medicaid funding or keep it the same.