Article Summary –
In 2017, Alliyson Feldmann experienced a stroke while 30 weeks pregnant and faced significant barriers to receiving appropriate medical care due to her pregnancy and financial constraints, leading her family into financial hardship. Feldmann expressed concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which cuts Medicaid funding and other assistance programs, potentially exacerbating healthcare access issues for low-income families and minorities in Pennsylvania. The bill also threatens to close Planned Parenthood centers and rural hospitals, further limiting healthcare services, especially for reproductive and maternal health, in underserved areas.
In 2017, Alliyson Feldmann, 30 weeks pregnant with her second child, experienced a stroke. Transported to a Catholic hospital in Buffalo, New York, she was informed that her stroke couldn’t be treated due to her pregnancy.
Feldmann expressed to the Pennsylvania Independent her desire to deliver her baby at 30 weeks. However, doctors insisted on waiting longer since the fetus was healthy, delaying induced labor.
She was discharged with Heparin, a blood thinner, and instructed to await her due date for delivery.
At the time of her stroke, Feldmann was employed at a rural hospital but had to stop working. She noted the absence of paid family leave and insufficient income reduction to qualify for Medicaid in New York, despite her disability and strict bed rest. Family members used their work leave to assist her as she was unable to be alone or drive, pushing the family to near-bankruptcy.
A speech-language pathologist, Feldmann’s family shifted from two incomes to one, supporting two disabled children and a disabled mother. Her daughter’s special needs and a move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for affordable healthcare were prompted by their ineligibility for Medicaid.
She now worries that President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will worsen conditions in Pennsylvania, especially for low-income families.
The controversial legislation provides tax cuts for the wealthy but reduces Medicaid and food assistance funding for millions of Americans.
Medicaid is a joint program for health care covering low-income adults, children, people with disabilities, and pregnant individuals.
Feldmann emphasized that her experience highlights barriers in health care access and reproductive freedoms, posing an even greater challenge for lower-income families and women of color.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health Services notes that Medicaid insures about 3 million residents, covering 39% of children and 34% of births in the state.
Data from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office shows nearly 144,000 Pennsylvanians may lose SNAP benefits, with 310,000 potentially losing Medicaid coverage due to the bill.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis criticized the bill as “absurdly cruel and unconscionable.”
The bill also threatens funding for nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide.
Feldmann, part-time with Jews for a Secular Democracy, noted Allegheny County clinics’ long patient wait times, as they serve women from across the U.S. who rely on Planned Parenthood for reproductive health care.
She remarked that rural hospital closures were ongoing before the budget bill. A Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform analysis revealed only 38% of Pennsylvania’s 42 rural hospitals offer labor services, with Medicaid cuts expected to severely impact rural health care.
“In McKean County, the hospital closure forces residents to travel to New York for births, missing Pennsylvania’s WIC and Medicaid coverage, complicating access to essential services upon return,” Feldmann explained. “The problem is multifaceted and worsening.”
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