'Medicaid matters': Johnstown group plans town hall, rally to highlight Medicaid's impact

Yahoo

14-04-2025

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A citizens group concerned about potential Medicaid cuts is planning a week of Johnstown events to raise awareness about the wide role that the program plays in the region.
Approximately 26% of Cambria County's residents are covered by Medicaid, as well as 166,191 people across the 13th Congressional District, which also includes a stretch of the state from Northern Cambria and Altoona to Chambersburg, and is represented by U.S. Rep. Dr. John Joyce, R-Blair.
Formed as a nonpartisan group to illustrate just how much 'Medicaid matters' across the region, Locals for Good is planning a town hall, a panel discussion with local experts and a peaceful Central Park rally over the coming days.
'Access to health care deeply impacts our community at every level, and we have urgent concerns about the impact of Medicaid cuts on individuals and families who depend on this funding for medical care,' said Ashlee Kiel, who is among the group's organizers.
Ashlee Kiel
Ashlee Kiel
Locals for Good, she said, formed to 'empower folks to take action to advocate for issues related to civil rights, social welfare and democracy.'
Medicaid's impact covers a cross-section of Pennsylvanians, with 77% of its spending on senior citizens and people with disabilities. That includes 4,201 children across the 13th District 'with complex needs and disabilities,' the group said.
But it also supports prenatal and post-partum care for pregnant women, low-wage workers and school-based health services, among others.
Medicaid funding also supports programs cited with helping Cambria County see historic gains in its daunting battle against drug addiction over the past several years – enabling people struggling with substance abuse to receive treatment and support.
'Medicaid enables me and others like me to stay well, stay in recovery and contribute to communities,' said Jason Rilogio, a former drug user who now works as a certified peer recovery specialist to help other substance abusers rebuild their lives.
Jason Rilogio
Jason Rilogio
Locals for Good is among a growing number of organizations that mobilized over the past several months, during a time the Trump administration's planned federal spending cuts has generated panic about how Medicaid – among the government's largest budget items – could be impacted.
With certain big-ticket budget categories, such as defense and border security, set to rise under the 2025-26 budget, Medicaid spending comprises 93% of the federal spending categories being eyed for cuts, according to figures from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
President Donald Trump has sent mixed messages on the possibility of how Medicare spending could be cut, although in his most recent interview on the topic he insisted that Americans who rely on the program shouldn't be concerned.
'I've said it so many times that you shouldn't even be asking me that question,' Trump told the media in late February. 'We're not going to touch it. Now, we are going to look for fraud.'
He's cited benefits received by people no longer entitled to receive benefits, and deceased recipients, among examples.
But the president and House GOP allies have also set a mandate for an $880 billion spending cut over the next 10 years – with critics warning that many of the proposals would either result in sharp cuts to the Medicaid program or enact changes, and modified allocations, that would force states such as Pennsylvania to respond at the state-level.
Insurers, health providers and advocacy groups have been sounding the alarm to raise awareness. The goal is to show members of Congress in both political parties that Medicare should be a priority – during a point when federal budget planning is still a work in progress, local advocates said.
Town hall
The first event will be held Thursday as a 'Defend Social Security and Medicaid Town Hall' at 106 Fairfield Ave.
'Anyone who depends on Medicaid or is concerned about the impact Medicaid cuts will have on their families and community is encouraged to attend,' the organization wrote in a release to media.
Attendees will have the chance to share their stories about why the programs are important to them.
Doors to the event open at 5:30 p.m., with the event starting at 6 p.m.
'Medicaid Matters' forum
Locals for Good, also called LFG, will hold the Medicaid Matters Forum April 21 at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Richland Township.
The event will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the John P. Murtha Center at 450 Schoolhouse Road.
Pitt-Johnstown's American Democracy Scholar Program and The Tribune- Democrat are partnering on the forum with Locals for Good. As planned, the event will feature panelists from organizations that rely on Medicaid funds to provide local services to Cambria County residents.
That includes Rilogio, a co-chair of the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Planning Council and a voting member of the Cambria County Drug and Alcohol Program, as well as Highlands Health Clinic Executive Director Rosalie Danchanko, who is also a Victim Services of Cambria and Somerset counties founder.
Additional panelists are expected.
The group is hopeful the region's Capitol Hill legislators will also attend.
Joyce and U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and David McCormick have been invited, as well as the area's state lawmakers, the group said.
Park 'Rally' The awareness campaign's final event this month will include an outdoor rally from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. April 26 at Johnstown's Central Park.
Mirroring 'Hands Off!' events that occurred across the U.S. over the past several weeks – including State College April 5 – a Hands Off our Healthcare rally is being billed as a chance for local residents to speak out in a unified voice.
'Anyone who is concerned about this issue is invited to come and make their voice heard,' Locals for Good wrote.