Over 600,000 Pennsylvanians could lose healthcare access if President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passes the U.S. Senate, healthcare activists say.
Antoinette Kraus, executive director of the PA Health Access Network (PHAN), said the bill could end healthcare access for Pennsylvania’s 320,000 people on Medicaid and another 270,000 on Pennie, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.
If enacted into law, Kraus said those cuts will cripple Pennsylvania’s healthcare system.
“It'll make deep cuts … it would create a huge hole in our state budget and also increase the amount of uncompensated care that hospitals face … one in four hospitals in Pennsylvania are already at risk because they're financially unstable,” Kraus said Thursday.
House GOP pass bill by razor-thin margin
Republican representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Act out of the U.S. House Thursday morning by a one-vote margin of 215-214.
The massive 1,116-page act slashes Medicaid spending, cuts taxes for individuals and businesses and bolsters border security.
More than 3.1 million Pennsylvanians are covered by Medicaid, according to KFF. That’s roughly 21% of the state’s population.
Medicaid helps cover costs for people with limited income. Advocates say the bill’s requirement for “able-bodied adults” to work 80 hours a month would put undue stress on the sick.
Kraus said hospitals will be under increased pressure to treat people with serious illnesses who would have otherwise been treated by primary care physicians.
“People will show up at hospitals sicker with things that could have been prevented … but they [won’t] have health insurance to be able to get the care they need before it [becomes] a health crisis,” said Kraus.
“I think people are really scared. I think people are really angry. I mean, you're taking health coverage away from hardworking individuals to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans,” she said. “I think people think that is not fair, and are scared about what happens to them.”
Bresnahan defends vote
Bresnahan defended his vote in a statement on Thursday.
“Medicaid will be protected while ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent prudently,” Bresnahan said. “During this process, I fought to protect social safety net programs from the waste, fraud, and abuse that have threatened their long-term solvency. By ensuring states are not using Medicaid dollars on illegal aliens, conducting more frequent eligibility checks, and requiring work for able-bodied recipients (see exemptions below), we are securing Medicaid for those who truly need it.”
The bill’s Medicaid work requirement exempts the following groups:
- Individuals under 18 or over 64
- Pregnant women
- Parents, guardians, or caretakers of a dependent or disabled individual
- Full-time students
- Disabled veterans
- Individuals with medical needs, including:
- Physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities
- Mental health disorders
- Blindness
- Substance use disorders
- Serious or complex medical conditions
- Members of households receiving SNAP benefits
- Individuals in rehabilitation programs
- Inmates of public institutions
He said in a statement before the February vote, “If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it.”
The congressman later defended his vote on the initial resolution, posting on Facebook, “Tonight's vote was just a procedural step to start federal budget negotiations and does NOT change any current laws. I will fight to protect working-class families in Northeastern Pennsylvania and stand with President Trump in opposing gutting Medicaid. My position on this has not and will not change.”
Bresnahan vowed during a March telephone town hall to protect it “for vulnerable populations.”
'Pennsylvanians will be sicker'
Donna Greco from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said the bill will make Pennsylvanians sicker than ever before.
“This bill is the single largest cut to Medicaid ever, and the House’s vote in favor of it marks a clear, dangerous step toward a reality where Pennsylvanians will be sicker — less able to prevent, treat and survive illness,” said Greco, ACSCAN’s Government Relations Director in Pennsylvania.
She criticized the state's Republican congressional delegation who voted for the bill, namely Rep. Rob Bresnahan, whose district includes Moses Taylor and Wilkes-Barre General hospitals.
“The cancer community is disappointed in the 10 House Representatives from Pennsylvania who voted in support of cuts to Medicaid, including work requirements. This includes Rep. Bresnahan, who represents thousands of people with a history of cancer and rely on Medicaid for their ongoing care," Greco said.
"If lawmakers don’t take the next opportunity to intervene, then hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will see their health care coverage ripped out from under them. We cannot let that happen and so, when it comes to them next, we urge Senators (Dave) McCormick and (John) Fetterman to vote against any cut to Medicaid,” Greco added.
