Medicaid Matters Forum expresses concerns over potential spending cuts
RICHLAND, Pa. (WTAJ)– With potential cuts coming to several federally funded programs, concerned citizens gathered at the John P. Murtha Center at the Pitt-Johnstown campus to discuss what impacts cuts to Medicaid could have on their communities.
The newly formed group 'Locals For Good' hosted the forum. The group describes itself as a non-partisan advocacy outlet for residents in Cambria and Somerset Counties. During the meeting a panel of experts took questions from those in attendance and gave statistics on what they say could make an already poor healthcare access situation worse.
'It's not just one thing and there's so much disinformation out there about what it actually does and what it actually means to people,' A member of Locals For Good, John Holsopple, said. 'It impacts not just the health of this region, where you have the potential for the uninsured rate to double if cuts are made at least.'
The group claims that major cuts to Medicaid are the only feasible way for the federal budget to meet the House budget recommendation of $880 billion or more in spending cuts. Jeannine McMillan, the executive director of the Center for Population Health, was a panelist for the forum and started it with a PowerPoint explaining how much Medicaid is used in Somerset and Cambria Counties.
'In Cambria County, about 27% of the population relies on Medicaid coverage for their healthcare benefits,' McMillan said. 'It's about 22% in Somerset County. It's a significant portion of our population that relies on that. It really is a life or death situation for many individuals in our community that they have that continued coverage.'
McMillan said that it is important to consider which demographics would be impacted the most, as both counties have higher averages for aging populations and poverty rates compared to state and national.
'Our most vulnerable residents rely on Medicaid, so folks that are socio-economically compromised, our elderly, our youngest members of our community are the ones that really rely on this coverage,' McMillan said.
Locals For Good is planning a 'Defend Medicaid Rally' for this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Central Park in Johnstown.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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