POTTSTOWN, PA — Pennsylvania Representatives Joe Ciresi of Montgomery County and Paul Friel of Chester County held a town hall Wednesday evening with the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP to discuss the growing impact of delayed state funding and federal budget cuts on local communities.
Ciresi said the session reflected democracy in action, with residents voicing concerns about healthcare access, food insecurity, and the rising cost of living. Much of the discussion centered on cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, which both lawmakers said threaten thousands of residents in southeastern Pennsylvania.
According to Ciresi, 5,914 people in Chester County and 12,009 in Montgomery County are expected to lose Medicaid coverage, while over 3,000 residents across both counties will lose SNAP benefits. In Pottstown alone, an estimated 1,662 people could lose Medicaid and 746 may lose SNAP assistance.
“These changes and cuts could not come at a worse time for our communities struggling with overburdened healthcare systems and rising food insecurity. Medicaid and SNAP have helped to stabilize our communities and support our economic growth. With more people in our communities living on the edge due to these cuts and changes, life will become unstable for us all. No one will be untouched by this devastation – not our families, not our schools, not our hospitals. No one except for the billionaires made even richer by the federal budget,” Ciresi said.
Attendees also raised concerns about the expiration of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which could cause average premiums to double nationwide. Ciresi noted that Pennsylvania’s state-run marketplace, Pennie, projects a 21% average premium increase, with some plans rising by as much as 38%.
“The economy is very tough for everyone right now, with flatlined salaries unable to meet the rising cost of living,” Ciresi said. “When premiums go up, it is expected that healthier people will drop their insurance, and insurance companies will in turn raise premiums even more for those still insured who are more likely to get sick and need expensive health care. These premium hikes will have an especially devasting impact on our seniors.”
“The healthcare system in American was already convoluted and broken,” Friel said. “Now we add Republicans at the federal level who decide to increase costs, reduce coverage and squeeze patients even more. We are looking at a real reckoning on health and how we deliver care.
“We need to wise up, but I don’t believe we have enough people willing to put patient care over politics yet. I think it is going to get worse before enough political and medical industry leaders will be willing to make some of the transformative changes we need.”
“We’ve got a rainy day fund for a reason,” Ciresi said. “And, if you haven’t noticed, it’s going to start hailing outside soon. We need to act now to support our people and our economy since Trump and the Republicans in Congress won’t.
“As they are at the federal level, so the Republicans in the State House are holding up our budget, depriving our schools, our municipalities and our safety net programs of necessary funding. The House just passed our third, bipartisan state budget last week and the Senate Republicans are nowhere to be found. It’s time for them to show some leadership and get back to the table. The people of Pennsylvania can’t afford to wait for them any longer,” he said.
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