This Independence Day, on behalf of tens of thousands of nurses and healthcare workers across Pennsylvania, we strongly condemn the passage of the largest healthcare cuts in American history in order to pay for massive giveaways to billionaires. These cuts are deeply un-American. They will devastate the people we care for, the places where we work, and the communities where we live. This is the ultimate betrayal of the American working class by politicians so they can bow down to their wealthy campaign contributors.
These cuts will slash $1 trillion from Medicaid and rip healthcare away from over 310,000 of the most vulnerable Pennsylvania families. The law will increase healthcare costs, reduce services, and threaten nursing homes, home care programs, clinics and hospitals across our Commonwealth. Federal support for Pennie, which many families depend on for their coverage, will be gutted and premiums for people with private insurance will go up. At a time when our population is older and sicker than ever before, we need affordable healthcare for all, not red tape that makes it harder for working people to access care.
Far too many Pennsylvania Congress members chose to side with the rich rather than stand with working families. A notable exception is Congressman Bryan Fitzpatrick, who deserves our gratitude and support for his principled courage in doing the right thing. Others – Sen. Dave McCormick and Congress members Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Lloyd Smucker, John Joyce, Guy Reschenthaler, Glenn Thompson and Mike Kelly – decided to sell out their constituents for their own political gain.
Today, as we honor the birth of our country, we are also marking the beginning of our campaign to hold those politicians accountable through our democracy. We are launching an unprecedented voter mobilization effort to make sure that every one of their constituents clearly understands the impact of their Congress members’ actions. We will work with our wide coalition of allies to replace them with elected leaders who are committed to funding healthcare, not billionaires.
Working people across our Commonwealth and our country are facing painful struggles, because those in power are continuing to hollow out the middle class and hoard more and more wealth at the top. A reckoning and a new direction for our nation are long overdue. If we make the rich and big corporations pay their fair share, we could fund all essential programs – including Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, education, affordable housing and childcare – while also reducing the budget deficit and taxes on working people. We are redoubling our commitment to fighting for that vision.
Matt Yarnell
President
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania